Schramberg majolica factory

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Uetrichtz & Faist Schramberg stoneware factory, around 1830
Small plate from Schramberg with Falkenstein Castle
Floor mark
Fish terrine from Schramberg, marked: Schramberg 8

The Schramberg majolica factory was the first stoneware factory in what was then the Kingdom of Württemberg . It was founded in 1820 by Isidor Faist , an earthenware expert from Nordrach . Until 1829 the name of the factory was Faist'sche Steingutfabrik .

In Schramberg everything that was needed for the production took place. An empty castle for production, enough wood as raw material for the kilns and the nearby Schiltach as a water and energy source. The area around Schramberg was also structurally weak and it was easy to get enough workers.

Faist earned a good reputation with its pottery. In 1829, Baron Ferdinand von Uechtritz joined him as a partner. From 1829 to 1883 the factory was then called the Uechtritz and Faist stoneware and majolica factory . With financial help from Baron von Uechtritz, it was possible to build a new factory behind the castle, which drastically increased production.

In the 1860s the factory had a workforce of 100 people. In addition, a large number of domestic workers were employed, mainly women and children.

In 1883 the factory was sold to Villeroy & Boch . As a subsidiary of Villeroy & Boch in Mettlach , the company continued the majolica and pottery production until 1912 and achieved a certain fame with its products. The parent company lost interest and sold the company to the Jewish brothers Moritz and Leopold Meyer in 1912 .

The SMF brand was introduced under the Meyer brothers , in its first version with the addition of a Christmas tree . In 1918 the company was converted into a GmbH . Moritz Meyer's son Peter Meyer was born in 1922. The Meyer brothers were constantly looking for new designs and had them developed by well-known artists. From 1930 onwards, many new designs came onto the market: Bauhaus influences and Art Déco appeared . The Hungarian Eva Zeisel not only designed the decoration of the pieces, but also the shape. After Zeisel stopped working for the company, patterns were often used together with their shapes, especially in the popular Mondrian design .

The ordinance on the use of Jewish assets issued after the November pogroms in 1938 forced the brothers to sell their factory. They emigrated to Great Britain with their families .

In 1949 Peter Meyer returned to Schramberg with his family. The family was immediately allowed to take over the factory again. In 1958 Peter Meyer married Julie Broghammer and had two children with her, in 1970 he took over the Schramberg Majolika as the sole owner and continued the work of his father and his uncle. In 1980 Peter Meyer died. After his death, Julie Luise Meyer (February 28, 1929 - May 24, 2020) accepted responsibility and joined the management of the majolica factory in January 1981, which she ran until 1986. Then she appointed her children Annette and Michael Melvin to the management, who still run the company to this day. Various smaller businesses were established in the company building.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Joanna Flawia Figiel: Revolution of the pattern - spray decor ceramic around 1930 . Hatje Cantz, Karlsruhe 2006, 159ff.
  2. ↑ Joanna Flawia Figiel: Revolution of the pattern - spray decor ceramic around 1930 . Hatje Cantz, Karlsruhe 2006, 160.
  3. ↑ Karin Zeger: Julie Melvin has never shied away from responsibility | Obituary | Schramberg entrepreneur died at the age of 91 | Extraordinary life . In: Family Brandecker Erben (ed.): Black Forest Bote . Volume 186, No. 124 . Schwarzwälder Bote Mediengesellschaft mbH, Villingen-Schwenningen May 30, 2020.

literature

  • Dieter Zühlsdorff: Brand Lexicon. Porcelain and Ceramic Report 1885-1935. Stuttgart 1989, p. 606.
  • Tilmann Buddensieg : Ceramics in the Weimar Republic 1918-1933 - The Tilmann Buddensieg collection in the Germanic National Museum . Nuremberg 1985
  • Karl H. Bröhan: Art of the 20s and 30s in the Karl H. Bröhan collection, paintings, sculptures, handicrafts, industrial design . Volume 3, Berlin 1985, pp. 507-515

Web links

Coordinates: 48 ° 13 ′ 45.6 ″  N , 8 ° 22 ′ 58.2 ″  E