West-German Pottery Advent Wreath

You heard right, such a thing does exist, and it seems to have been manufactured into at least the late 1970s by Ruscha. Most German households count down to Christmas with an advent wreath, traditionally something like this:

wikipedia.org

I had been on the hunt for something reusable and more interesting for years, when my mom solved the problem last summer by thrifting a modernist ceramic advent wreath for me, a vintage West-German one no less… The Ruscha Art sticker is still intact and proclaims “echt Handarbeit” (genuinely handmade.) I won’t lie to you, it took us several tries to find votives that fit the candle holders, although in a pinch tea lights work too. I am a well-intentioned but ultimately hopeless flower arranger, and even I managed to make this wreath look festive by simply whacking a few branches in the spaces between the candles. If trawling German fleamarkets isn’t on the cards but you desire a vintage ceramic advent wreath for your Fat Lava collection, try searching German ebay using the term “Keramik Adventskranz”. Let the Christmas countdown begin!