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Lot 18*
Peter GbokoGwari Casserole Dish 16 x 29 x 28cm (6 5/16 x 11 7/16 x 11in).
16 February – 2 March 2023, 12:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£700 - £1,000
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Peter Gboko
Gwari Casserole Dish
stamped 'PK' (base)
stoneware
16 x 29 x 28cm (6 5/16 x 11 7/16 x 11in).
stamped 'PK' (base)
stoneware
16 x 29 x 28cm (6 5/16 x 11 7/16 x 11in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Acquired directly from the Abuja Pottery Training Centre;
A private collection.
Credited for his techniques in form and regarded as one of the the most gifted throwers within the Abuja Pottery Training Centre, Peter Bute-Gboko remains a prominent figure in the Pottery Centre's history. While traditional Gwari casserole dishes did not have the addition of strap handles, in the present lot we are able to see the modern aesthetic and practical take that Gboko took in his creative direction. This casserole dish does however have the round base, stylistic of typical Gwari pots.
The present work, detailed in its etching and 'pie-crust' fluting relief work to the rims, possesses a symmetrical and meticulous geometric execution. The lid of the work is concave in form and the prominent strap handles of the bowl are reminiscent of the arched shaped etchings of the slip in the glazing. The extensive graffito incising throughout the work reveals this work as either a Jun or a Slip glaze over a black slip while it was still wet. Given an comparative example of the Potter's work in his book, John Edgeler suggests that Gboko typically used this style as it was also applied to a teapot of the late 1950s.
Bibliography
Tanya Harrod, The Last Sane Man, Michael Cardew, Modern Pots, Colonialism and the Counterculture, (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2012), pp. 272-274.
John Edgeler, Michael Cardew and stoneware, continuity and change, (Winchcombe: Cotswolds living Publications, 2008), p. 60.