German Wall Face Mask Peter Ludwig for Achatit Werkstatten MCM 11" Signed 1950s

Stunning mid-century, art deco German Wall Face Mask handmade in Germany for Achatit Werkstatten by designer Peter Ludwig (1902-1893). 

This beautiful hand crafted stylized, gilded achatite wall mask of a fine lady with black and green striped glove was designed in the 1950s by Peter Ludwig for Achatit Werkstätten, one of the major producers in the 1950s and 1960s of the very popular wall masks, sculptures, and plaques that decorated so many modern homes of the era.  The material he used for his objects was achatite (achatit in German), something that resembles ceramics.

This original face mask is signed on the bottom by the artist using his initials PL. 

The original gold foil Achatit manufacturer logo sticker and Handerbeit Made in Germany sticker are attached on the back. 

The mask measures approx. 11" H x 7 1/2" W. 

In very good vintage condition with minimal wear.  Artist signed initials PL on the bottom.  Original manufacturer stickers attached.  Please see pictures for more details.

History

Peter Ludwig (1902-1983), who initially trained as a painter, turned to the applied arts and worked as a make-up artist for theater, ballet, film, and vaudeville. He worked with numerous important dancers, including Harald Kreutzberg (1902-1968), for whose tours he designed and performed all the dance masks. In 1948, he and the businessman Hans Schirmer founded a studio to make reproductions of his own work and from existing templates using material consisting of a combination of finely ground rock and wood pulp mixed with binders which and poured into plaster molds, then fired and cooled, they were then painted and/or gilded, and polished with agate stones.  The word agate is "achat" in German, which is how both the material and the company got their trademarked names, 'Achatit'.

The production program at Achatit Werkstätten, which was continuously expanded in the following years, comprised wall masks, girls' and children's heads, statuettes, animal sculptures, and relief images, all initially based exclusively on designs by Peter Ludwig. The decorative objects he designed from the non-ceramic material achatite were of considerable importance for the development of decorative ceramics in the years after 1950.