205. Andrew Sartorius, Firebox Sculpture no. 16, “Calico"

205. Andrew Sartorius, Firebox Sculpture no. 16, “Calico,” 2022

For Sartorius, see item 143.

West Virginia wild clay, with a slip made from North Carolina wild clay; with a Shino glaze on the upper portions with enough carbon capture to turn some areas a light gray-blue; the wood-firing created colors in the gray to black range and red to mahogany range. The interior was glazed with Shino. Weight: 1010 g (2.3 lb), Height: 17 cm (6-3/4 in). Width: 10.2 cm (4 in). Length 13.3 cm (5-1/4 in).  

This sits on a flat base, roughly triangular in shape, 12.5 x 11.3 x 10.1 cm (5 x 4-1/2 x 4 in). There are remnants of four posts used to keep the pot from fusing to the shelf on which it said during firing, which were roughly filled in later with a bit of clay. The pot is a truncated pyramid. Besides the base, the pot has three sides and a top. The front side (the one with the opening) rises in a convex arc to about three-quarters of the height before bending forward. The opening is 3.7 cm (1.5 in) wide and sits in the center of the convex arc. The right side (looking from the front) of the pot begins as a circular concave depression on the bottom half and then squares off into a long rectangle with a slight convex arc. On the bottom left of this side is a small triangular area. The artist’s mark is stamped next to the base within this area. The left side is a quadrilateral, slightly convex in shape that first bend to the left and then back to the right. The top is an inclined triangle with curved sides tilting forward, 8.2 x 5.7 x 8.8 cm (3-1/4 x 2-1/4 x 3-1/2 in). The areas coated with the Shino glaze and with the melted ash glaze are smooth to the touch. The unglazed areas are rougher.

This was wood-fired in the upper front of an anagama kiln for four days. A Shino glaze was applied to the upper parts of the pot and to the interior. The glaze on the exterior absorbed enough carbon to turn a gray-blue color; in some areas the Shino glaze turned red. The interior glaze shows the red and white colors associated with Shina. The fire was also hot enough that the glaze exhibits crackling. The wood-firing also was hot enough that there was some ash melt, along with coloring in the gray-black and red-mahogany-brown ranges.

A superior piece, showing Sartorius’ control over the interactions between shape and firing. The Shino glaze adds a new depth to this series of pieces.

Purchased from the artist in January 2023.