Cream Pitcher 1910

William Ernst Hentschel made this cream pitcher from ceramics, maybe sometime in the mid-20th century. You get a real sense of the hand here, don't you? The form is generous, with the handle making an inviting curve like it’s ready to be held. I imagine Hentschel throwing the clay, and the pot sort of grew under his hands, each touch adding to its shape and character. And the blue! It's almost as if it was pulled from a twilight sky. It's that moment when the day hasn't quite given way to night. I love how the tulip patterns add a delicate, rhythmic touch. You can tell he spent time refining the details. It's got a kind of humble elegance, doesn’t it? You can see the dialogue between craft and art that so many artists of the time were engaged with, like Lucie Rie, for instance. They were all trying to find new ways of seeing and making in a world that was rapidly changing. It is a reminder of the enduring power of creativity to transform the ordinary into something quite special.