74. Sonia E. Rolland, small neriage pot

74. Sonia E. Rolland, small neriage pot

 

Rolland is a Boston-area potter. She specializes in neriage (agateware). For more information on her and examples of her work, see her page at www.feetofclaypottery.com.

White and blue clays, clear glaze or luster; base left unglazed. Weight: 262 g (9 oz). Rim diameter: 6.8 (2-3/4 in); maximum diameter: 8.8 cm (3-1/2 in); base diameter: 6.3 cm (2-1/2 in). Height: 9.2 (3-5/8 cm).

This sits directly on the flat base. The artist’s initials, “SR,” and “18,” presumably indicating the year this was produced, 2018, are incised into the base. The walls rise in an arc outward from the base to the maximum diameter 2.7 cm (1-1/8 in) above the base. They then curve inward to the bottom of the neck, which is 5.7 cm (2-1/4 in) in diameter and 6.6 cm (2-5/8 in) above the base. The neck is 2.5 cm (1 in) high. It bows slightly outward before curving in to meet the rolled rim.

Neriage means “kneaded” and refers to the use of different colored clays to form random patterns. Here Rolland used a white porcelain clay and the same clay colored blue. The two clays were layered, and when she formed the pot on a wheel, the result was a piece with random streaks of blue and white. A similar process is called “agateware” in English pottery. A clear luster was applied to the interior and exterior, with the exception of the base.

Purchased at the annual winter sale at Feet of Clay Pottery, Brookline, Massachusetts, December 2018.