169. Micah Lott, bowl

 169. Micah Lott, bowl

Lott is a Boston-area potter associated with Feet of Clay Pottery.

Light tan clay with black flakes (iron?). Glazed in white; foot ring and rim left unglazed. Weight 474 g (17 oz).  Width of rim (maximum): 16.5 cm (6-1/2 in); of foot ring: 9.4 cm (3-3/4 in). Height: 7.6 cm (3 in).

This sits on the foot ring, which is about 0.4 cm (1/8 in) on the exterior. The interior of the foot ring is very shallow, less than 0.1 cm (1/32 in). “Lott” was incised into the interior, next to the edge. The walls rise in a convex arc. The diameter expands rapidly to about the halfway point to almost the maximum width, and the walls then curve upward in a shallow arc. There is no lip at the rim. The shape of the interior mirrors that of the exterior. The glazed portions of the surface are lightly pitted. The bare clay is fairly smooth.

The rim and the foot ring were left unglazed. The exterior was coated with a thin white glaze. During the firing, this resulted in a mottled and streaked pattern on the exterior as the color of the clay showed through. The glaze was applied more evenly and more thickly on the interior. The black flakes in the clay melted during the firing, speckling the surface with black dots.

This is a good size for a soup bowl. It has good balance and heft. Leaving the rim unglazed makes for a nice detail. In practical terms, it also makes it easier to grasp the bowl by the rim and the foot ring; being unglazed, they aren’t as slippery as the glazed portions of the bowl.  This was made using the same clay and the same glaze as the following item, which isn’t surprising since both potters work in the same place.

Purchased at Feet of Clay, semiannual pottery sale, December 2021.