figure of a lion

Summary

Slip-cast figure of Chinese lion or Dog of Fo, eated on square pedestal decorated around sides with impressed rouletted lines and spots of dark brown slip. Dog has large head with deep-set eyes, short nose and grinning mouth, with applied modelled tongue and teeth. Moulded wavy lines across head and back emphasise fur, moulded collar around neck with three pendants suspended on chest. Left forepaw raised on low stump. Impressed rouletted lines to collar and fur along back, dark brown slip details to head, pendants and legs. Small curls of clay, some white and some stained dark brown, applied randomly on head and body to give impression of fur. Dark brown stain of slip has bled slightly into salt-glaze.

Display Label

Shape Shapes are often defined by their function: a teapot must have a handle and a spout. But by breaking away from the usual conventions designers and makers can reveal new possibilities, create new forms and make us think again. They can transform the teapot into a pineapple, or a simple, curvaceous, abstract shape. Through time, makers have used their imagination, their ingenuity and even their sense of humour to transform ordinary and everyday objects into appealing shapes inspired by our surroundings. Some shapes are designed to reflect their use, others are made as a novelty or decorative item: cows for a cream jug, giraffes for a mantelpiece. Many are created out of a desire to experiment, to see what can be done with different materials. This display brings together a menagerie of shapes showing the possibilities available to the maker.