WMF Ikora, WMF Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, Karl Wiedmann

WMF introduced the Ikora range during the late 1920s as an experimental line of decorative metalwork and glass. Closely associated with designer Karl Wiedmann, Ikora objects used innovative patination, enamel-like color and surface treatments to create abstract, individually varied patterns. The bowls, vases, lamps and table objects are important examples of German Art Deco design and industrial craftsmanship.

WMF, the Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, was formed in Geislingen, Germany, in the 19th century and became one of Europe’s most important manufacturers of metal household objects. Its tableware, cutlery, decorative vessels and lighting combined industrial production with the work of specialist designers. Across Art Nouveau, Art Deco and postwar modernism, WMF became known for technically refined metalwork in silver plate, brass and stainless steel.

Karl Wiedmann (1905–1992) was a German designer closely associated with WMF and its Ikora range. His experimental work in metal and glass during the 1920s and 1930s explored patination, colored surfaces and innovative industrial finishing techniques. Wiedmann’s Ikora designs are known for richly varied abstract patterns that made each decorative object visually distinctive.