Dimensions: 4 5/8 x 14 1/4 in. (11.75 x 36.2 cm)
Copyright: No Known Copyright
This charger was made by the Rembrandt Pottery Factory in Gouda, The Netherlands, sometime between 1925 and 1955. Looking at it, you can tell it’s not about realism but more about a playful, colorful, and somewhat stylized take on nature. The palette has these lovely teals, blues, and yellows. The Rembrandt Factory clearly had a handle on glaze work, there's a richness to the surface. See how the paint sort of pools and blends in certain areas? It makes me think about watercolor painting, but with a ceramic heft. I love the border, all those little yellow diamonds, each one carefully placed. Overall, this piece reminds me of the decorative arts coming out of the Arts and Crafts movement, like some of the ceramics by William De Morgan, who also was into these rich glazes, stylized flora and fauna, and an embrace of the handmade. Art is always a conversation, right? This charger is just one little piece of that ongoing dialogue.
Comments
minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago
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Though it’s called a charger, this piece is more like a bowl or a deep dish. Yet it is still meant to be viewed as a two-dimensional artwork, such as a painting, and was probably hung on the wall, as it is here. Like a painting, the charger has a “frame,” in this case made with a geometric border. Inside the frame, swirling flowers (perhaps poppies) envelop the viewer, forming a second framing device for the water and the midnight blue sky.
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