Capriolus

UK - Janet Darnell Leach - bottle shape vase

Jane Darnell Leach (1918-1997) was born in Texas, USA.  Whilst known as the wife of potter Bernard Leach and as a driving force of the Leach Pottery in St. Ives. Jane Leach is acknowledged in her own right as one of the leading potters of the second half of the twentieth century. Fiercely independent, she was a potter with a powerful identity and, combined with an appreciation of sculptural form, brought a unique understanding of clay to her work. She originally was trained as a sculptor in New York before taking up ceramics in the late 1940s. After a subsequent meeting with Bernard Leach and Japanese potter Shoji Hamada who were on tour in the United States, Janet Leach lived and worked in Japan before moving to St. Ives in 1956. One of the first studio potters from the West to train in Japan, she acquired traditional methods of making and firing.  She developed a very direct manner of handling clay, acquiring a particular understanding of the Japanese-Korean technique  of coiling and throwing. As a great experimenter, Jane Leach went on to devise her own clays, including a red firing body and a dramatic black body, distinctively decorated with slashes of white glaze. Bernard Leach often admired her confidence in being able to handle 'irregular forms and textures', also major characteristics of her work. With work dating from the late 1950s to pieces made shortly before her death, the exhibition traces the development of Leach's ideas from the early, more formal pots to the later, freely thrown bottles bearing the marks and scarring of the wood fire; it also includes pots made in Japan. Curated by Emmanuel Cooper and drawn from both national and private collections, this exhibition considers Jane Leach's status as a gifted and original potter making an important contribution to twentieth century ceramics. This small bottle shape was created round about 1980. Black baking clay with slashes of white pewter glaze. With signature on the bottom of the vase.

 Deze flesvorm is gemaakt ca. 1980. Zwartbakkende klei met 'slashes' witte tinglazuur. Met signatuur aan de onderzijde vaas.

Object number

0667

State

Sold

Date

1980 - 1985

Signature

see stamps

Provenance

-

Condition

flawless

Measurements

height 25,2 cm; max.diam. 15,7 cm

Price

-