Ceramic Wall Relief – Helmut Schäffenacker, Germany (c. 1960s)

A vintage German ceramic wall relief by Helmut Friedrich Schäffenacker (1921–2010), dating to around the 1960s. The square relief features an abstract composition of geometric and free-form elements, characteristic of the 1960s, with echoes of earlier German modernism. The glaze combines rust, reddish brown, dark brown, black, grey and cream tones. Measuring 46 × 46 cm (18.1 × 18.1 in.) and weighing approximately 8 kg (17.6 lbs), the relief is substantial in both size and weight. The reverse has four raised ceramic supports, with a metal wire hanger attached between the central supports. This construction allows the relief to sit slightly away from the wall when hung.