ConNext-2021

54 Straw mosaic A brief review on its technique and distribution on the basis of the straw mosaic factory F. Ebert in Ansbach (1846 – 1930) KEYWORDS: straw mosaic, Ansbach, craftsmanship, 19 th century, historical techniques. This talk will focus on shedding light on strawmosaic - a so far unknown gem of European and especially Southern Germany’s cultural history. Apparently, one of the largest production facilities was the factory F. Ebert, situated in the town of Ansbach located in Middle Franconia. It can be traced back from 1846 to at least 1930. 1-2 With numerous employees, a great variety of fancy goods decorated with strawmosaic was produced and then exported to many European countries and sold there as souvenirs. 3 Straw mosaic can be regarded as a special kind of straw marquetry, which is largely unknown and little researched today. As a result, such objects are usually considered a marginal phenomenon (sometimes the straw decoration is wrongly identified as wood marquetry) and often hastily allocated to vernacular art. However, first investigations revealed that this craft was much more widespread in the 19 th century than previously assumed. Valuable information can be found in newspaper reports, advertisements, trade registers and address books. According to these reports, in the vicinity of the factory in Ansbach, there were numerous individual manufacturers in the Rhön region grouped together under the term ‘Rhöndepot’. 4 Companies also existed in Heilbronn and Kloster- Ebrach, and items with straw mosaic were also produced in the penal institutions of Lichtenau near Ansbach and St. Georgen, near Bayreuth. 5-6-7 In a trade school in Hilders, founded by the association ‘polytechnischer Verein Würzburg’, even straw mosaic work was taught. 8 Much more remains to be discovered. It has not yet been researched how the straw mosaics were made and what motivated the two founders Ebert and Weppler to set up a straw mosaic factory in Ansbach. While descriptions of the general production of straw marquetry exist, no detailed reports 1 Ansbacher Morgenblatt für Stadt und Land, 28. November 1847 2 Adreßbuch der Stadt Ansbach, Kreishauptstadt von Mittelfranken 1930 3 Ansbacher Morgenblatt für Stadt und Land, 28. November 1847 4 Würzburger Stadt- und Landbote, 11. Dezember 1852 5 Pflege und Förderung des gewerblichen Fortschrittes durch die Regierung in Württemberg,1868 und Baltische Monatsschrift, 1873 6 Bayerischer Anzeiger für das Handelsgericht und Handelsinteressen, 15. Oktober 1870 7 Bericht der Beurtheilungs-Commission bei der allgemeinen deutschen Industrie-Ausstellung zu München im Jahr 1854 8 Gemeinnützige Wochenschrift, 1852