22. Jan Daniels, small, lidded container

22. Jan Daniels, small, lidded container

Daniels was a potter in Los Altos, California.  According to an information sheet she supplied, her pieces “show the influence of her research and studies in Japan, and also her deep interest in and attachment to American Indian pottery.”

Reddish-tan clay, interior of pot has a blue-gray glaze; exterior colored by smoke from wood-firing. Weight (overall): 226 g (8 oz). Base: rim diameter, 6.5 cm (2-5/8 in); mouth diameter, 5.5 cm (2-1/4 in); diameter at top, 9.7 cm (3-3/4 in); widest diameter, 10.2 cm (4 in); foot ring diameter, 6.2 cm (2-3/8 in).  Lid; outside diameter, 7 cm (2-7/8 in); inside rim, 5.5 cm (2-1/8 in). Height (overall): 6 cm (2-3/8 in)

The bottom (ca. 1.3 cm or 1/2 in tall) of the lower section of the pot is constructed of a foot ring beneath a base rising at a shallow angle to the maximum width of the pot. The base of the pot has a small circular artist’s mark about 3/8 inch in diameter where a Japanese-style seal was pressed into the wall, leaving a shallow mark. The character is written in the ancient form known as “seal script”; unfortunately it is beyond my abilities to decipher. Daniels possibly acquired it when she was studying in Japan. The sides of the pot (ca. 2.5 cm or 1 in) angle inward; the diameter decreases from 5 cm to 4.5 cm (4 to 3-3/4 in). Two small handles are affixed to opposite sides of the pot; each projects about 1 cm (3/8 in). The top of each is level with the top edge of the side. There are small, precisely formed holes in the center of each handle. The sides of the pot have been scored with fine parallel striations running around the circumference. When the handles were attached, the surface of the pot beneath the handle was smoothed out to give a secure attachment point. The sides of the handles are also scored with fine striations. The top of the pot consists of a narrow shoulder, rising upward at a very shallow angle to meet the raised lip of the rim.  The interior of the pot was glazed.

On top of the lid in the center is a small protrusion to serve as a handle. The top is gently curved. About a 0.6 cm (1/4 in) from the outside rim, the clay was shaved to form a flatter area. On the inside, the rim is about the same distance from the outside edge; the area within the rim is domed. The lid fits loosely inside the bottom part.

The interior of this was glazed; the pot was then wood-fired, resulting a dark-brown coating over the lid and parts of the side of the piece. The coating on the lid is fairly uniform in density; that on the sides varies from dense to almost none. The bottom of the piece has very little coating from the firing, and none inside the foot ring. The inside of the lid also has none. 

This is one of my favorite pieces. It looks simple but there is a lot to it. The wood-firing gives it an unprepossessing look but a closer examination reveals its complexity. It makes for a rewarding study.

Purchased at a potters’ exhibition and sale in Palo Alto, California, in 1993.