dish

Summary

Public: Dish, hard paste porcelain, flowers and leaves in enamel colours and gilt, cartouches with insects and flowers. Private: Dish, hard paste porcelain. Canted rectangular shape with a border, decorated with flowers and leaves in high relief, and a cartouche in the centre of each side, shallow well. Painted in blue, sea-green, leaf-green, brown, black, yellow, puce and iron red enamel colours and gilt, the cartouches with sprays of flowers, the well with scattered insects and flowers - poppy, cornflower, lily - in 'woodcut' style (Holzschnittblumen)

Display Label

Clay Clay is an ancient, universal material. Dug out of the ground, it is basic stuff, formed by the elements, earth, water, air and fire. Its use is one of the oldest human artforms. Clay responds to the touch of your hand, it can be pushed and pulled, squeezed and pinched. Clay has no natural form of its own, and can be shaped into almost anything. It is tactile, inviting, immediate and intimate. When soft, it is marked by the slightest touch, yet once fired, it becomes fixed and permanent. A clay pot will survive for thousands of years, bearing the thumbprint of the potter who made it. Some makers are drawn by clay's physical appeal, its sensuous and tactile qualities. For others it is simply a means to an end, an incredibly diverse and expressive medium with the potential to do almost anything.