»Instead of useless decorative objects« - Behind this somewhat cryptic title lies the more than 100-year-old advertisement by a Bürgel pottery factory for replicas of Central German prehistoric ceramics.

It was around 1900 when the local workshops successfully survived several crises with new products and production processes and worked with the Art Nouveau artist Henry van de Velde. The production of replicas of prehistoric ceramics still corresponds to the need expressed in historicism to display one's own historical awareness or enthusiasm for the Renaissance, Middle Ages and antiquity. In addition to decorating middle-class households, they were used primarily for lively teaching in schools, universities and at lectures. Similar to today's museum education concepts, they were intended to create new possibilities for direct experience beyond two-dimensional images.

In the exhibition, these historical Bürgel replicas are presented together with the original objects on which they are based. This not only offers an exciting look into the regional pottery history, but also a wonderful look at 4,000 years of Central European ceramics history.

We would like to thank the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and the State Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Halle for their cooperation. ​​​​​

The accompanying catalogue to the exhibition is available for 5 euros.