Emu beaker
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Australia
4 September 1881 – 16 November 1956
Emu beaker
1917
earthenware with sgraffito decoration
- Place made
- London
- Medium
- earthenware with sgraffito decoration
- Dimensions
- 10.0 x 8.7 cm (diam.)
- Credit line
- South Australian Government Grant assisted by the Crafts Board of the Australia Council 1980
- Accession number
- 809C20A
- Signature and date
- Incised on base 'G. Reynell/Jan/17'. Incised on surface near rim '1917'.
- Media category
- Ceramic
- Collection area
- Australian decorative arts and design
- Copyright
- © Art Gallery of South Australia
-
Regarded as South Australia’s first studio potter, Gladys Reynell is known for her bold modernist approach to pottery and her use of local Australian clays. In 1912, Reynell, along with fellow South Australian artist Margaret Preston, travelled to Europe to extend her artistic training, learning pottery at London’s Camberwell School of Arts during late 1916 and into 1917. Reynell’s Emu beaker, which is decorated with emus using the sgraffito technique, dates to January 1917 and is probably one of the first pieces made by her in London. Sgraffito is a process whereby the design is revealed by cutting back through the slip into the body of the pot.
Reynell’s pottery shares a tradition with the ceramics produced by the Omega Workshops in London (1913–19), which under the direction of Roger Fry (1866–1934) produced art and craft in a wide variety of materials. The style promoted by the Omega Workshops was one of handmade simple forms, allowing the visibility of the maker’s hand.
Rebecca Evans, Curator of Decorative Arts & Design