Vase 1893 - 1911

Curator: The earthenware ceramic vessel, known simply as “Vase,” produced between 1893 and 1911 by Dedham Pottery, possesses a distinctive appearance that draws attention even from across the room. Editor: It has this wonderful, slightly unstable drip glaze look, doesn't it? Very organic, with that thick green running into red. It looks substantial; I wonder what it weighs. Curator: I understand why you would say that. Glazes such as these are quite evocative, recalling ancient amphora and methods of surface production in use for centuries. I notice how the pooled glaze coalesces around implied markings—recalling totemic images, and evoking deep subconscious associations with the vessel form itself. Editor: Right, there’s a definite art-and-craft feel, an attempt to balance mass production with individual maker’s mark and an earthy grounding that would speak to progressive aesthetics of the time. What more can you tell us about the Dedham Pottery process? Curator: Indeed. The imagery certainly implies stability with its cylindrical core and widened lower chamber. Although purely decorative, it retains the echoes of functionality within its cultural DNA. The vessel refers back to ideas of abundance. Its materiality and glazing offer clues as to period tastes in color and the turn-of-the-century art world interest in surface decoration and materiality. Editor: It does make me think about labor, the factory environment and individual creativity merging together at the pottery works. The imperfection gives it a warmness and shows how this vase transcends pure utility. A simple, practical shape turned into a display of surface materiality. I’m intrigued. Curator: In a way, this vase tells a complex cultural story. On the surface we see only clay and color but reflected within are centuries of artistic traditions and values regarding craft. Editor: Quite. Looking again, I find myself even more curious to feel the weight and understand the human labor behind its making.