102. Dana Farkas, “white splash bottle vase”

 102. Dana Farkas, “white splash bottle vase”

For Farkas, see item 101.

Brown clay, red, white, and black glazes; base left unglazed. Weight; 724 g (1.6 lb). Rim diameter: 3.7 cm (1-1/2 in); maximum diameter: 9.2 cm (3-5/8 in); base diameter: 8.2 cm (3-1/4 in). Height: 15 cm (6 in).

This sits directly on the flat base. “Dana” was incised into the base. From the base the walls rise in a continuous shallow convex arc to the shoulders. The maximum diameter lies 10 cm (4 in) from the base, just below the shoulders, which are 11.3 cm (4-1/2 in) above the base. From there the walls curve inward to the beginning of the neck, which is 5 cm (2 in) in diameter and lies 12.5 (5 in) above the base. The neck rises in a long, concave arc to the rim.

The interior of the pot was glazed in white. The upper part of the exterior has a red glaze, the lower part a black glaze. White glaze was splashed over the neck and shoulders of the pot and allowed to run down the walls. The exterior white glaze is thin and much pitted, allowing the colors underneath to show through. The bottom was left unglazed.

The label “white splash bottle vase” is the artist’s. Like the preceding item, this shows a strong sense of color and design. The division into red and black sections is dramatic, and the white “splash” adds elements of spontaneity and randomness. Without the splashes the pot might look formal and rigid.

Purchased at the annual spring sale at Feet of Clay Pottery, Brookline, Massachusetts, May 2021.