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Tall Vessel with Ellipses
Potter: Roberts, David (b.1947)
*
Coiled clay raku-fired vessel, smoke-black inside and crazed white with smoke-grey elliptical decoration outside. The tall slender vase stands on a circular base. The sides swell outwards slightly, and then curve inwards into an elongated, elliptical neck. The mouth is lower at the front than at the back. The grey elliptical lines form an approximate oval on the front, and extend over the whole height. On the back they are angular and stop about a third of the way down from the top.
History note: The Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street, Edinburgh
Gift of Nicholas and Judith Goodison through the National Art Collections Fund
Height: 55.7 cm
Width: 17 cm
Method of acquisition: Given (1997-03-03) by Goodison, Nicholas and Judith
20th Century
Production date:
AD 1995
David Roberts (b.1947) has an international reputation as a leading practitioner in raku ceramics. He became a full-time potter in 1981, following a decade as an art teacher, and now lives and works at Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. His large vessels are coil built, generally using a clay mix of 'T' material and porcelain. He abandoned glazing in the in the early 1990s and creates his surface effects through smoke generated by the raku firing process, aided by slips and resists.
Text from object entry in A. Game (2016) ‘Contemporary British Crafts: The Goodison Gift to the Fitzwilliam Museum’. London: Philip Wilson Publishers: David Roberts is a distinguished English potter, with an international reputation as a leading practitioner in the ceramic art of raku. He studied Ceramics as part of his degree in education at Bretton Hall in Yorkshire, and following a decade of art teaching he became a full-time potter specialising in the raku process in 1981. Roberts is acknowledged as responsible for the introduction and promotion of modern, large-scale raku in Europe. The technique involves removing the pot from the kiln whilst still red hot and placing it into a container filled with combustible materials creating a reduction atmosphere that generates particular surface qualities. In his personal mastery of the technique and exploration of this ceramic tradition, Roberts has transformed raku into a vibrant form of contemporary expression. He sees this particular tall vessel ‘as of great importance as it was one of the first resolved pieces achieved by this process.’
This is one of a series of tall vessels in which Roberts explores the ability of form to activate space. A sense of movement is created by the lean of the body, the shape of which suggests human form, and the surface decoration. When placed in a group the vessels lean towards and away from each other, as if in dialogue. The surface is ground after firing, to lighten the colour depth. Roberts is widely acknowledged as responsible for introducing modern large-scale raku in Europe and sees this vessel ‘as of great importance, as it was one of the first resolved pieces achieved by this technique’ (Game).
clay mix
'T' material
clay mix
Porcelain
Coiling
: Coil built, raku fired ceramic
Raku firing
Inscription present: in impressed circle
Accession number: C.6-1997
Primary reference Number: 81917
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
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The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Tall Vessel with Ellipses" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/81917 Accessed: 2024-11-05 14:57:11
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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/81917
|title=Tall Vessel with Ellipses
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-05 14:57:11|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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<div class="text-center"> <figure class="figure"> <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa33/C_6_1997_2_201506_kly25_dc2.jpg" alt="Tall Vessel with Ellipses" class="img-fluid" /> <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Tall Vessel with Ellipses</figcaption> </figure> </div>
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