figure of deer

John Wood

Summary

Figure of a female deer, standing on oval grassy mound against tree on her left side, with head turned round to the right. Bocage leaves applied to tree trunk, clumps of shredded clay grass below. Soft buff coloured glaze to animal with grey-black tufts to head, stripe along back and hooves. Soft green and brown glazed base and tree.

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.