33. LAI, squarish, built-up bowl

33. LAI, squarish, built-up bowl

 

I saw this in a shopwindow and bought it. The clerk had no information on it. The base is inscribed “LAI,” which might be initials or a surname.

White clay, tan, yellowish-brown, blue, and luster glazes; bottoms of feet left unglazed. Weight: 1162 g (2.6 lb). Top dimensions: roughly 19.5 cm (7-1/2 in) square; base dimensions: 10 cm (4 in) square. Height: overall, 11.3 cm (4.5 in); at rim 10 cm (4 in).

This is a built-up piece. The sides are formed of trapezoidal slabs, about a quarter inch thick, joined at the sides and to the base. Each side bows out slightly at the top. A leg was created at each corner by removing clay from the base and then from between the legs in a gentle arc. The sides are joined together clumsily, particularly on the inside seams. Strips of clay were used to form collar-shaped handles on two of the sides. The bottom of each side piece has three arching grooves incised into the clay. The letters “LAI” are incised into the base.

The ground is a tan glaze. A yellowish-brown glazed was applied to the handles, the rim, and the side seams and feet. A blue glaze was used to create a pattern of x’s within parallel lines on the exterior and a circular pattern on the interior. The blue glaze was also brushed over the rim. A luster glaze was applied to the outside of the piece, but not to the inside.

There is nothing polished or finished about this piece; the piece is so irregular that the dimensions given above are best guesses. Some of the work appears inept and clumsy—qualities that may be intentional. The design is free-wheeling and slapdash. 

Purchased in Brookline, Massachusetts in 2005.