Ilse Decho’s teapot fronts the success story of the Schott glassworks in Jena. Starting in the 1930s, Schott designed domestic glass in such a way that it became an indispensable part of German tableware. The teapot – even the tea strainer, which is removed after the tea has brewed– is made entirely of glass. Even so, the tea was still served from this glass vessel instead of being poured into a more conventional teapot. Its contemporary design was compelling in its simplicity and clarity. Matching stackable cups, suitable for storing in small kitchen cabinets, were also produced. Ilse Decho, the first female professor of vessel design at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design, left her mark on East German modernism with her combinable, stackable designs. She was one of the few truly influential female industrial designers in the post-war period.
Moreover, this teapot reflects both East and West German design history. Its rational, timeless style known as ‘Gute Form’ or Good Form was prevalent in product design on both sides of the Iron Curtain and symbolised the modernity of both German states.
Indeed it was thanks to Professor Decho that her students were able to gain practical knowledge in an industrial environment. The glassware manufacturer Harzkristall in Derenburg, which still exists, was affiliated for that reason with Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design – a unique partnership right up to the present day.