THE ITEM
A beautiful work of art by the well-known ceramist Pieter Groeneveldt for the Modernist and/or Brutalist collectors out there. His quote "For me, the richness of simplicity is the greatest asset" appears as the most apt summary for the source of his creative inspiration.
The red terracotta clay form of this Chimney vase is deceptively simple because the depth is all hidden in the glaze. The base glaze is a deep seaweed / sage green, deep enough that at first glance, it would appear to be a dark granite, layered over the darker glaze is the pale green lava foam, thick and sumptuous in texture and varying in hues with light sgraffito to reveal the layer beneath.
This piece would suit a Minimalist, Contemporary or even Industrial decor themed room.
CONDITION
Excellent, with a few movement marks on the base, please refer to photos as part of condition report. The base of the vase is inscribed with the numbers '152' and 'Holland'
MEASUREMENTS
c. 3.8" / 9.5 cm x c. 6" / 15 cm wide x c. 4.9" / 12 cm in depth.
Rim: c. 1.5" / 4 cm x c. 1" / 2.5 cm
Unpackaged weight: c. 0.9 kg / 850 g
NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured.
Shipping will be combined for multiple items.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Born 1889, Groeneveldt was a Dutch artist and ceramist who was active during the greater part of the 20th century. After finishing the Arts State School in Amsterdam around 1914, the young Groeneveldt developed a broad range of skills including painting and sculpting. However, ceramics attracted his attention the most and it is through ceramic that Groeneveldt famous. Many ceramists of the time were part of a modern art movement which abandoned figurative designs and decoration and instead brought forth strong emotive effects created by glazes in various colours and textures.
Much of his earlier work shows very subtle variations in colour caused by different layers of glaze put over one another. His later work often shows the travertijn (travertin) effect: a roughened surface wiped with a dark glaze, creating a stony, wood-like travertin-effect and this style was introduced in the Netherlands by Groeneveldt during the 1960s. However, cheap, mass-produced pottery from Western Germany and other countries flushed the market in the 1960s and in 1972, after a drawn-out struggle, Groeneveldt's Voorschoten workshop succumbed to financial difficulties. However, Groeneveldt remained artistically active until the very end of his life, continuing to produce ceramic works at home. Groeneveldt died in 1982, at the age of 93.