Ankara Ashtray by Von Scholtis, Carstens Tönnieshof, 1960s

An ashtray with an uncomplicated form.

It was made of red clay. The vessel has an interesting texture and is covered with a black and turquoise glaze, with an iridescent finish.

The ashtray is from the Luxus series, Ankara decor designed in 1963 by von Scholtis.

The ashtray was made at the Carstens Tönnieshof factory .


One of the most coveted Carstens designs was - Ankara.

It was produced in both Germany and Australia - and is now a highly sought-after Carstens design.

The German versions of the Ankara design were made using reddish-brown clay, while the Australian production used white clay.

In 1900, Heinrich Carstens gave birth to the ceramics company he named after himself. Art pottery was mainly created at the Carstens Tönnieshof opened in 1954 by brothers Christian and Ernst Carstens in Freden on the Leine in Lower Saxony.

In the 1960s, the company grew so powerfully that factories were also opened in Austria and even in Chile, Argentina and Australia, where production reached 10,000 pieces per day!