Green is my favorite color of pottery. The reason? Perhaps because I really love wood—boxes, furniture, paneling, cabinetry—and what looks better with wood (trees) than leaves and grass (green)? I find the color green (at least most shades) calming, centering. Green relaxes me. It's the color of nature herself. And the deeper the green, the more I like it.
The Übelacker West German Modernist jug, shown above, is a home run! The earthy, green glaze, for starters, is deep, deep, deep—and just this side of muddy (without being drab). Plus, the glaze is a matte finish—another few points in its favor.
Beneath this "glaze-of-wonderment" is a Cubist, tile-inspired arrangement of shapes, reminiscent of a sculpture by Ukrainian-American artist, Louise Nevelson. Many of her works were cobbled assemblages of wooden found objects, painted a monochromatic white or black. She was a big name in the Mid-Century flowering of American Modernism (as well as a big name in the Mid-Century New York Hipster scene).
We have an oak modular flat file in our home which bears an original metal manufacturer's tag: "Made especially for Miss L. Nevelson, 29 Spring Street, New York City." She lived and worked at this address after her previous home (on East Thirtieth Street) was condemned for "slum clearance." Having a flat file which may have housed Nevelson's ever-growing collection of spools and blocks and wooden off-cuts makes me love this pitcher all the more.
Click on the photo above to learn more about it.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248