Pot

Rob Barnard, Pot, 1993, anagama fired clay with glaze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Howard Kottler Endowment for Ceramic Art, 1997.4
Copied Rob Barnard, Pot, 1993, anagama fired clay with glaze, 10 348 147 12 in. (27.321.019.1 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Howard Kottler Endowment for Ceramic Art, 1997.4

Artwork Details

Title
Pot
Artist
Date
1993
Dimensions
10 348 147 12 in. (27.321.019.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Howard Kottler Endowment for Ceramic Art
Mediums
Mediums Description
anagama fired clay with glaze
Classifications
Object Number
1997.4

Artwork Description

Rob Barnard believes that imperfections are necessary in pottery, because they give the artist room to grow and improve. The grooved surface and uneven lip of this pot add to the originality of the piece. The artist left a portion of the decorating up to chance, allowing the ash from the kiln to color the raw clay during the firing process. Barnard fired this pot in an anagama kiln, like those used by potters in Japan from the fifth through the sixteenth centuries. The wood-fired kiln is large enough to hold as many as five hundred pieces of pottery and can reach temperatures of 2,400 degrees.