Sewer-Pipe Vase with Applied Decoration

Copied Unidentified, Sewer-Pipe Vase with Applied Decoration, 20th century, alkaline glazed stoneware, 11 127 125 34 in. (29.119.114.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.39
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Sewer-Pipe Vase with Applied Decoration
Artist
Unidentified
Date
20th century
Dimensions
11 127 125 34 in. (29.119.114.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
alkaline glazed stoneware
Classifications
Keywords
  • Object — other — vase
Object Number
1986.65.39

Artwork Description

Early-twentieth-century factory workers often created whimsical objects as a diversion from the monotony of their jobs. They used any materials that were available and often gave them away as gifts. In these pieces, the artists covered old sections of sewer pipes with clay, then decorated the surface. The molded handles suggest that the pots were intended to be used.