SKU: 6453194119

CARSTENS TÖNNIESHOF ‘ANKARA’ TABLE LAMP WITH VINTAGE SHADE

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Description

CARSTENS TÖNNIESHOF ‘ANKARA’ TABLE LAMP WITH VINTAGE SHADEA striking table lamp manufactured in the 1960s by CARSTENS TNNIESHOF, finished with a variation of their very successful wax resist 'Ankara' dcor (Helmut Scholtis, 1963). The lamp body is matt burnt orange decorated, with a metallic anthracite glaze. The nubby fabric shade is of the same period and accented with gimp trim and tassels in alternating rust and beige. The light can be turned on and off with a plastic tipped pull string or from the inline

A striking table lamp manufactured in the 1960s by CARSTENS TÖNNIESHOF, finished with a variation of their very successful wax-resist 'Ankara' décor (Helmut Scholtis, 1963). The lamp body is matt burnt orange decorated, with a metallic anthracite glaze. The nubby-fabric shade is of the same period and accented with gimp trim and tassels in alternating rust and beige. The light can be turned on and off with a plastic-tipped pull string or from the inline switch. Wired for the European market, but comes with an adaptor for North American outlets. (We will, of course, happily change the plug at the customer's request.)


CARSTENS-TÖNNIESHOF was founded in 1946 by Ernst Carstens and his son Christian. The family (which included Christian's namesake uncle, sometimes mistakenly listed as a Tönnieshof cofounder) had a generations-long history of manufacturing porcelain and other ceramics throughout Germany. However, all of its businesses had collapsed by the end of WWII. Most of the factories that had survived were expropriated by the GDR—having wound up on the communist side of the line when the country was divided following the war. Father and son built the new Tönnieshof factory on a farm of that name in the town of Fredelsloh—just across the West German border in Lower Saxony. Very little is recorded about its earliest production, which began in 1947 and consisted mainly of tableware. The first known decorative pieces date from the early '50s. Ernst's wife Trude Carstens served as artistic director for CARSTENS-TÖNNIESHOF until her death in 1965.

Early modern CARSTENS-TÖNNIESHOF products had simple forms and were decorated in discrete colors. More advanced décors, with organic patterns and sometimes gold elements, were developed by Trude Carstens in the mid-'50s. Good examples of this type are Utrecht and Graz. Forms with molded geometric patterns would soon be introduced, the Carmen relief series from 1958 being representative.

When Ernst Carstens died in 1954, leadership passed to son Christian. Under his guidance, the firm maintained its dynamic position in the vanguard of West Germany's ceramics industry. CARSTENS, which employed about 400 workers by this time, would remain successful for decades and produce an enormous variety of shapes and glazes. In step with most of the other major German ceramics companies of its day, CARSTENS' practice was to apply a variety of decoration techniques to the same basic forms. This naturally yielded extensive product ranges. In addition to its own branded pottery, CARSTENS manufactured ceramics for the Austrian firm Goldscheider.

The celebrated Heinz Siery began his work at CARSTENS in 1959. His designs—with their harmonious, "golden-ratio" proportions—were ubiquitous in the company's early '60s production, and indeed, throughout its remaining history. Of special note is the original Atelier series, developed by Siery (forms) along with Gerda Heuckeroth (décors) and released in 1962. The two are together responsible for some of CARSTENS' most coveted creations.

Helmut Scholtis (listed as "von Scholtis" in much of the literature), during a stint with CARSTENS in 1963, unveiled the hugely popular Ankara décor. An outstanding example of the "wax resist" technique, it was applied to a broad array of forms and can be found in a variety of color and shape permutations. Ankara remained in continuous production until 1969.

Dieter Peter and Rudolph Christman came up with several advanced, eccentric forms in 1967 and paired them with sophisticated "fat lava" glazes for the high-end Luxus series. It was followed in 1968 by Gerda Heuckeroth's Boutique series. The two lines were produced to be sold exclusively in large department stores and comprised some of CARSTENS' most labor-intensive and costly items to produce.

CARSTEN's production was eventually expanded to Austria and overseas to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Australia. It may well have topped out at close to 10,000 units daily overall. By the mid-1970s, however, the profitability of the ceramics industry was being undercut by cheap imports and lagging public interest. CARSTENS went bankrupt in 1977. It was taken over by employees for a time and operated under the name Kiel Atelier; all operations ceased in 1984.


KEY DESIGNERS:

  • Trude Carstens, 1946–mid '60s
  • Heinz Siery, 1959–1967
  • Gerda Heuckeroth, 1962–1964
  • Dieter Peter, early '70s
  • Rudolph Christman, 1967–1968
  • Helmut Scholtis, 1960s

DETAILS

Maker – CARSTENS-TÖNNIESHOF

Production Period/Year – 1960s

Origin – WEST GERMANY

Styles/Movements – ABSTRACT; MID-CENTURY MODERN

Materials – CERAMIC, FABRIC

Colors – BURNT ORANGE, BEIGE, BLACK, GOLDENROD

Shade – INCLUDED

Power – UP TO 250V (EUROPEAN STANDARD), CORDED, TYPE "C" PLUG

Condition – Excellent vintage condition. May show minor signs of previous use.

Dimensions – 15" DIAM. × 36" H

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SKU: 6453194119

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4.5 ★★★★★
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G
Verified Purchase
Geege
Boise, US
★★★★★ 3
Well that didn't last long!
Color: Blue Puppy, Size: Medium Size 2
He loved it for the 15 minutes it took to destroy it! Cute design, but the material was thin enough to penetrate with his teeth and it was all over in a very short time! He still carries the carcass around and tries to play with it...it's sad. Definitely not for strong chewers.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2026
A
Verified Purchase
Ash
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 4
Decent ball
Color: Blue Puppy, Size: Medium Size 2
Context: I have a busy, anxious Corgi. I like that it came with a pump to air it up. My dog likes the tag feature on it which made the ball easy to carry. She chewed off the tags pretty quick. She didn’t like herding this one as much. She prefers herding a basketball over this ball. The ball sits in the backyard through all the weather and elements and has held up pretty well. We’ve had it about a year and it’s still a good toy.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2026
P
Verified Purchase
Pamela G
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 1
Easily Ripped apart within minutes
Color: Blue Puppy, Size: Medium Size 2, Color: Blue Puppy, Size: Medium Size 2
I have a new foster who’s only 35 pounds not an aggressive chewer and loves to play with my dogs rooster soccer ball toy but the ball itself is a little big for her to get her teeny little mouth around when she’s trying to carry and run with it this happened to pop up on my feed a size smaller (medium, instead of large ) and available for next day delivery, so I bought it specifically for the little dog to play with. I gave it to her to play outside while my hound is busy playing with one of her toys I went about watering the garden, when I turned around a few minutes later, I saw the ball appeared to be completely flattened. As I walked over, I saw pieces of black rubber on the ground, and then the rest of the ball had a gaping hole in it. The rooster version of the ball that I bought from another seller has been going strong for months with multiple dogs playing with it and chewing on it and ripping the side ribbons apart so either I got a defective toy or the quality of manufacturer from this seller is much lower since the durability of the ball seems to be less than an hour.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2025
C
Verified Purchase
Cmb galdamez
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Great ball
Color: Blue Puppy, Size: Medium Size 2
My babies love it
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Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2026
T
Verified Purchase
Tiff
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 2
Not very durable
Color: Blue Puppy, Size: Medium Size 2
This ball is cute and my dog loves tags. However he popped this ball with one bite to carry it…. Within 10 minutes of getting it. It should have a tougher exterior
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2025

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