"Carstens" Pottery Dish

This piece was a little mysterious to me, because the base carries the familiar West-German "Carstens" mark, but also the word AUSTRIA. As it turns out, a number of these are in circulation and are in fact of the West German enterprise, Carstens. Carstens had an office in Austria and a number of other countries, so one hypothesis is that export of their wares may have been more successful without ‘Germany’ printed on the pieces, with the war having ended just a few years before. Another possibility is that between 1953 and 1959, Carstens produced ceramics under the Austrian brand ‘Goldscheider’ until they moved to Fredeslöh in Germany, where Carstens was based. While likely, I can't be certain that the piece dates to the 1950s, but I can confirm that it's a gorgeous piece of collectible West-German pottery and a lovely, versatile size and shape for all sorts from fruit to crisps.