Bowl
Item
Title
Bowl
Creator
Byrdcliffe Pottery
Date
1903-22 (ca.)
Dimensions
1 x 6 inches (d)
Medium
Earthenware
Object No.
2017.13.2
Credit line
Gift of Theodore M. Lytwyn
Marks
On base: impressed mark featuring logo over "BYRDCLIFFE."
Description
Byrdcliffe, an Arts and Crafts community in Woodstock, New York that produced furniture, ceramics, and other wares was indebted to the vision of founders Ralph Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead and Jane Byrd McCall. Whitehead stated that the goal was: “To produce beautiful handmade objects that, when sold, would finance the colony; to offer classes in all the crafts so that the colony’s success would go forward for future generations; and to lead a healthful life on a working farm that would help to support the inhabitants and proved the best of a rural environment in terms of beauty and simplicity of lifestyle.” He believed that a community would find success through if members communicated openly, worked together in shared artistic goals, and used their capabilities in a collective manner to strengthen one another. Jane’s particular interest in pottery helped encourage her husband to establish a pottery as a new venture and means of profit for the colony.
If the ethos of the pottery was shaped by the colony’s mission statement, the aesthetic that developed resulted from the artistic influence of the Whiteheads and also of Edith Penman and Elizabeth Hardenbergh. The decorative nature of the pottery and simple forms may have stemmed from the limitations of the potters themselves, as neither Penman or Hardenbergh were proficient on the wheel and hand-built their pieces as a result. Hand building also aligned nicely with the general avoidance of mechanization that many in the movement espoused. Additionally, the isolated nature of the community and the aesthetic influence of the Whiteheads fostered an environment in which the individuality of the potter was suppressed in favor of a unified product that reflected communal ideals.
If the ethos of the pottery was shaped by the colony’s mission statement, the aesthetic that developed resulted from the artistic influence of the Whiteheads and also of Edith Penman and Elizabeth Hardenbergh. The decorative nature of the pottery and simple forms may have stemmed from the limitations of the potters themselves, as neither Penman or Hardenbergh were proficient on the wheel and hand-built their pieces as a result. Hand building also aligned nicely with the general avoidance of mechanization that many in the movement espoused. Additionally, the isolated nature of the community and the aesthetic influence of the Whiteheads fostered an environment in which the individuality of the potter was suppressed in favor of a unified product that reflected communal ideals.
Associated names
Edith Penman (potter and decorator)
Elizabeth Hardenbergh (potter and decorator)