Strongly influenced by the rediscovered art of East Asia, ceramics and porcelain production boomed toward the end of the 19th century, especially in England and France, including a new flowering of Jugendstil ornament. It says volumes about Richard Riemerschmid that he simply ignored all the exoticism and elaborate decoration proliferating around him, as he did the torrent of useless knick-knacks flooding middle-class homes. Porcelain manufactories were veritably compelled to inaugurate a new style during this period in order to survive on the market. This was the case for the stoneware industry in the Westerwald region just as it was for the Meissen porcelain factory, for which Peter Behrens and Henry van de Velde had already worked. In comparison with the curvaceous elegance of Meissen Jugendstil objects exemplified by the work of van de Velde, Riemerschmid brought an almost crude component into play. His dishes are notable for their simple forms and reduced leaf, vine and fruit décor, which might well have been inspired by the uncomplicated folk patterns produced in Bunzlau, in what is today Poland. His later tableware designs for home and hotel likewise focused on functionalism and usability. Just as simple and virtually archetypical are his numerous beer steins, whose outstanding aesthetic quality can best be appreciated when compared with the ill-proportioned and kitsch-laden monstrosities widespread at the time – and still found everywhere today.