Aztec Headdress Reassembled Ring Teapot
Photo by Jon Barber
Each reassembled hollow ring teapot I make starts with an idea and a plan of attack. With this teapot I first made an oval cross-section ring with pointed ends. I cut the ring into three sections, and collapsed the original ring into an off-center oval composition, which re-states the pointed-end oval cross-section of the original ring. The top of the arc of the left side section overhangs but does not touch the right side section where the spout is attached. The gap between the two not-touching arc sections was wider when I composed the assembly, but it warped closer to the spout in the firing, although it didn’t touch. I cut out a pointed-oval opening in the top of the overhanging arc section for the teapot lid, and attached the fan-like lid finial to the lid. Although I was not thinking of this while I made the lid finial, after it was mounted on the teapot lid it reminded me of a ceremonial feather headdress I had seen years ago in a book about the pre-Columbian Aztec Indians. I glazed the lid “fan” like brightly-colored feathers, and used a muted gray on the body of the teapot. This teapot has a sculptural presence I am proud to have created.
17” Tall x 11” Wide x 6” Deep
Price: $3,200