Spara Keramik, (l. to r.) 265-25 (25cm) and 265-20 (20cm)

Very little information has survived about Spara Keramik. It was founded in 1947 by Ludwig Spang in Ransbach, Germany (Spara coming from SPAng and RAnsbach), existed until at least the 1970s, and its chief designer during that decade was Halidun Kutlu. Like Spara, little is known about Kutlu other than he was of Turkish origin and worked for several other West German companies. This absence of detail leaves only inference, e.g. some have written Spara’s works in the 70s appear to have an “Eastern influence” due to Kutlu’s background. I prefer to believe he was simply a good designer, as evidenced by form 265 here. It’s (undulating? oscillating?) equidistant rings on a cylinder capped with a solid circular neck and slightly smaller circular base is a rather simple but elegant design which would look good in any modern home. Though I’ve seen the 265 in orange and red, and even one with only two rings, they are few and far between. Perhaps “simple” wasn’t as appealing in the wild world of 70s West Germany pottery, with its bizarre forms and riotous kaleidoscope of color, and thus it might may not have sold well? When it comes to Spara, one can only guess.