85. Richard Gilson, miniature lidded container

85. Richard Gilson, miniature lidded container

Gilson teaches pottery at several places in Boston, including Feet of Clay Pottery, where he is one of the managers. His primary practice is producing functional pottery, but he periodically engages in creating sculptural work through both throwing on the wheel and hand-building. He is inspired by nature and organic forms with a focus on coral reefs and the organisms they support.  For more on him and other examples of his work, see his page at www.feetofclaypottery.com.

Black clay, brown and clear glazes; base of foot ring, underside of lid, and gallery on which lid sits left unglazed. Weight: 206 g (7.5 oz). Bottom section. Rim diameter: 6.7 cm (2-5/8 in); maximum diameter: 7 cm (2-3/4 in); foot ring diameter: 5 cm (2 in). Lid. Diameter: 5.3 cm (2-1/8 in). Height: overall, 7.7 cm (3 in); bottom section. 5 cm (2 in); lid, 2.3 cm (1-1/8 in).

This sits on the base of the foot ring, which is 0.6 cm (1/4 in) high on the exterior. The area within the ring foot was hollowed out to half this distance. “Gilson” was incised into the base (it is covered with a glaze and is only faintly visible). Above the foot, the walls rise in a convex arc to the neck, 4.8 cm (1-7/8 in) above the base and 6 cm (2-3/8 in) in diameter. The maximum diameter lies 3.2 cm (1-1/4 in) above the base. At the neck, the walls angle out in a straight line to the rim. Within the mouth of the bottom section, a circular gallery serves as the resting spot for the lid. It is recessed below the rim by about an eighth of an inch. The underside of the lid is flat. The outside perimeter of the underside was removed to a depth of less than a sixteenth of an inch to form the part of the lid that rests on the gallery in the bottom section, leaving the center portion of the underside to protrude a bit. The upper side of the lid is a shallow concave arc from the perimeter to the center post supporting the knob. The top of the knob is pyramidal and rises to a central point. The lid fits nicely on the base.

The base of the foot ring, the underside of the lid, and the galery that supports the lid were left unglazed. The rim and the neck of the bottom section and the outer edge of the lid are a dark brown. The interior and the exterior walls and the center of the foot ring are a grayish-green, with touches of dark brown. The underlying black clay shows through at points and the surface is speckled with dark dots. The surface has a smooth sheen; a luster glaze may have been applied.

The variety of colors on this small pot make it interesting.

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