The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954)(about) |
Previous issue
Saturday 5 April 1924
Next issue
Send to:
|
1 correction by thenewtonekid - Show corrections
POTTER'S ANCIENT ART.
Introduction to Tasmania.
Popular Exhibition.
"And, strange to say, among the earthen
lot, some could articulate, while
others not:
And suddenly one more impatient cried,
'Who is the potter, pray, and who the pot'?"
Omar Khayyam
There opened at the Town hall yes- terday an exhibition of man;, artistic and beautiful specimens of the potter's ancient art, as produced by Miss Poyn- ter at her pottery at Ratho, Bothwell In most of the mainland States art pot-
teries exist, but that set up bv Miss Poynter is the first in Tasmania, al- though there are several works where the ordinary commercial article is turn- ed out
Seeing the exhibition, at which Miss Poynter, seated at her potter's wheel, shows how a handful of wet clay may be fashioned in an instant into a bowl of delicate curves and perfect symmetry, a jar, a cup, and a dozen and other arti- cles, recalls the words of Omar the Tent- maker, without necessarily bringing thought of the underlying philosophy It is certain, however, that if potters had the power to give their wares the ability to articulate the articles that
somehow form themselves on Miss Poynter's wheel would not be behind- hand in learning the language of the pots.
Many people went to see the exhibi- tion yesterday, and no doubt many more will avail themselves of the opportun- ity of doing so during to-day and next week. Miss Poynter recently extended the building, and installed a new fur- nace, considerably increasing the out- put. She now has a large and valuable collection of pottery of every descrip- tion, both useful and ornamental, the whole process of manufacture being car- ried out by herself, from the moulding (or technically "throwing") the clay on the wheel to the designing, colouring, glazing, and firing. The latter is strenu- ous work, as the firing takes from eight to ten hours, and during that time the furnace must, of course, be continually kept going at exactly the correct tem- perature. She has had numerous firings lately in preparation for the exhibition.
Amongst so many exquisite designs it is difficult to pick out examples of spe- cial interest, but some of the most ad-
mired are an Egyptian jar, 16in, high
and 8in, in diameter, depicting Anthony and Cleopatra, with other Roman and Egyptian figures, a jug 15in high, de- picting peacocks in beautiful colouring and glazing; a bowl with a design of fishes, and another with grotesque gar- goyle handles, the design being taken from an old manuscript in the British Museum. There are also vases, cake and fruit dishes, tea sots, candlesticks, and many other things. Miss Violet Mace, who has been staying with Miss Poyn- ter, is also an enthusiast. She has made great progress in the art, and has turn- ed out some excellent work, which is on view at the exhibition. She has just completed a "mah jong" set, containing the full 136 pieces, also the dice, coun- ters, and other accessories. The Chin-
ese characters on the various pieces are are very clearly shown.
Miss Mary Walker exhibits portrait medallions.
Miss Poynter is contemplating fur- ther improvements to her pottery, and hopes to put in an electric furnace when the Bothwell lighting scheme is in stalled. There is a good demand for the work.