Tulips from East-Germany

No sign of spring until now... last night it was snowing again. Not that it is unusual in this time of the year. But my internal clock runs differently and I always have had enough of the winter several weeks too early (my mediterranean genes?).
So yesterday I decided to buy something that reminded me of flowers and colours, a combination of a vase and a candleholder, which I had been eyeing for several months in the window of an antique shop. These two pieces were made in the German Democratic Republic, i.e. here, but in Soviet times, probably in the sixties ot early seventies. The porcelain vase is a mass product, the surface is printed, but I found it irresistible because of its oriental pattern and the unusual shape.



This is a tiny remnant of the friendship and the mutual influence that linked the countries of the former Soviet Union and the Eastern Block. Although fabricated in central Europe it has a distinctively turkish-persian look adopted also by the central asian soviet republics.
The tulip with its round, turban-shaped blossom, is a often recalled motive in persian and turkish culture from Afghanistan and Central Asia, where the the flower and the name actually have their origin.
From there it took its way to Europe and much later a nameless German designer created this set as an hommage to some Soviet brother country far down in Asia.
Travelling in Eastern Europe I noticed a strong tendency towards asian-oriental patterns and accents very closed to kitch all over; I call it the "Soviet concrete baroque". But this is another story to be told another time... ;-)
Unfortunately, as you can see, the shape of the vase does not really fit the tulip, it is far to slim and high; I will have to wait for the daffodills to adorn it!