Gerd Knäpper, German, 1943–2012

A Cobalt-Glazed Stoneware Vase (土ベージュコバルト釉 花瓶)

1979

About the work

A bold and meditative stoneware vase by Gerd Knäpper, created in 1979 during the formative years of his remarkable career in Japan. This piece reflects Knäpper’s rare ability to synthesize Japanese tradition and Western abstraction into a single, compelling form.

The vase features a strong, upright cylindrical body with subtle wheel-thrown ridging and a wide, open mouth. It is richly finished in a flowing cobalt glaze that cascades over a warm beige clay body. The glaze breaks and pools across the surface, revealing a dialogue between movement and restraint, polish and rawness. Where the glaze thins, it exposes the sandy, iron-rich clay beneath, evoking the expressive spontaneity of natural elements.

Signed and dated on the base, the vase is accompanied by its original tomobako (signed wooden box) and documentation.

Dimensions

16.8cm(h) x 14.5cm(w)

Footnote

Born in Wuppertal, Germany, Gerd Knäpper studied under Horst Kerstan and later moved to Japan, where he visited Shoji Hamada in 1968 and settled in Mashiko. He became the first foreign potter to establish a kiln there. Fusing German design with Japanese tradition, his work earned major accolades—including the Grand Prize at the 1971 National Ceramic Competition and Japan’s Prime Minister’s Award. His legacy bridges East and West with clarity, depth, and innovation.