Teapot
Artist
Warren MacKenzie
(American, 1924 - 2018)
Dateca. 1998
MediumStoneware with glaze
DimensionsOverall: 9 × 9 1/4 × 7 inches (22.86 × 23.5 × 17.78 cm)
Credit LineGift of Catherine L. Futter
Object number2006.14.2.A,B
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionStoneware lidded teapot with a matte, crackle glaze and a bamboo handle. From a simple flat foot the vessel's body flares sharply outward before gently tapering inwards towards the opening of the pot. The central body is decorated with a diagonal paddle decoration, leaving a raised and impressed pattern somewhat randomly over the surface. The short spout is pinched to create a good pour. Two rolls of clay in line with the spout form loops for the mass-produced bamboo handle. There are areas in the white glaze where iron the firing has trapped carbon in the surface creating iron red streaks. The interior of the teapot is glazed with a shiny grayish transparent glaze and the wall between the spout and vessel has been perforated. There is a simple lid with the knob pulled from the clay of the lid; the lid is overall glazed on top and the underside of the lid is unglazed where the body of the vessel meets the lid.Gallery LabelProbably the most well-known functional potter working today, Warren MacKenzie's ceramics have simple yet elegant forms. He explains, "the craft of pottery is dependent upon the physical contact of the observer and in handling...the sensuous tactile qualities of clay and glaze." MacKenzie believes that everyone should be able to own and use well-made, beautiful works. The artist is inspired by the Japanese mingei tradition of utilitarian folk objects, such as the Japanese tea ceremony water bowl created by Kato Keishu. MacKenzie's teapot borrows the bowl's glazing technique known as shino ware, distinguished by a rich yet translucent, white glaze. MacKenzie's pieces, created in his Minnesota studio, are revered in Japan, where they are affectionately referred to as Mingeisota ware.
Copyright© Estate of Warren MacKenzie
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