Teacup (one of five)

Copied Leif Wicklund, Sexwick Pottery, Teacup (one of five), ca. 1975, mineral colored clays with fritted lead glaze, height approx. 4 34 in. (12.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.132.2

Artwork Details

Title
Teacup (one of five)
Artists
Sexwick Pottery
Date
ca. 1975
Dimensions
height approx. 4 34 in. (12.0 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
mineral colored clays with fritted lead glaze
Classifications
Keywords
  • Abstract
  • Landscape — celestial — moon
  • Landscape — river
  • Landscape — mountain
  • Landscape — waterfall
  • Landscape — celestial — star
Object Number
1975.132.2

Artwork Description

This set of five teacups shows a scene with the constellation Orion dominating the sky, while a waterfall gushes down the reverse side and into the river below. Leif Wicklund decorated his teacups with layers of colored clay over light clay slabs to create imaginative landscapes with texture. Since concentrated areas of copper turn black in the kiln, Wicklund achieved the black detailing on the teacups by rubbing copper-laced glaze on their surfaces before firing. This set was featured in the Renwick Gallery's 1975–76 exhibition Craft Multiples, which highlighted the work of production craftsmen who created utilitarian objects in multiples of ten or more.