Project Description

Born in Tokyo, Japan to the man considered the “Father of British studio pottery”, David Leach is an English Ceramicist. The father’s and son’s pottery share many common themes but David Leach has partially departed from his father. Leach’s father was known for his thick, bold, rough, opaque pottery with little color difference between body and glaze. Leach’s work is thin, smooth, translucent, with precise with simple ornamentation. Both follow an aesthetic practice known as “ethical pottery”. Ethical pottery, as opposed to “fine arts pottery”, advocates that simple, functional ceramics possess inherent morality. Although not invented by, the term was popularized by Bernard Leach in his 1940 text: A Potter’s Book. This bowl was thrown on a pottery wheel and later altered, to create the scalloped rim. The clay body is porcelain, often called China for its birthplace. Porcelain is characterized by its white, smooth translucency. The bowl is fittingly glazed in a pale Celadon. Celadon glazes, also from China, are frequently paired with porcelain bodies, as their translucency allows for a greater appreciation of the clay. They range from blues to greens. The color derives from iron oxide in the chemical makeup. This bowl was acquired by the Berea College Ceramics Program and was donated to the College Art Collection in 2008.

-Susan Bonta, Class of 2018

Object Details

David Leach (English, 1911-2005)
1978
2008.13.44
4"x10"x10"
Porcelain
Gift of Berea College Ceramics