1960s Polia Pillin Pottery Studio Hand Painted Dish

Description

Mid century modern ceramic dish by renowned potter Polia Pillin.

Hand painted in her Los Angeles studio in the 1950s-1960s. … more Mid century modern ceramic dish by renowned potter Polia Pillin.

Hand painted in her Los Angeles studio in the 1950s-1960s. Red clay earthenware typical of her work.

Polia Sukonic Pillin was born in Poland in 1909 into a talented artisan family. In 1924, at the age of fifteen, her family sent her to live with relatives in Chicago where she took classes in painting and sculpture at the Jewish People’s Institute. It was in Chicago where she would meet her husband, William Pillin, who had studied poetry. After marrying, they eventually settled on a farm near Albuquerque, New Mexico. After several years, they returned to Chicago where, in 1946, Polia took a course in ceramics at Hull House, her only formal training in pottery. Eventually, Polia set up a studio in their home where she perfected a technique she called “painting on clay.” She added oxides to slip in various intensities and combinations and developed a palette of extraordinary range. She is known for her ethereal images of women, cats, horses, and birds on greenware pots. Her work has been described as Byzantine in style, with similarities to the work of Chagall. Polia also taught William how to make pots and he began to throw vessels for her, took care of the firing, and sometimes helped with glazing. Polia always did the painting. In 1948, the Pillins moved to Los Angeles where they set up their studio in their garage. Polia made her last known piece in 1991, a year before her death in 1992. No production records were ever kept, and most pieces were unique, so no catalog of her work will ever be complete. The total output of pottery from Polia is hard to even estimate, but certainly no more than 10,000 in total. Because of its scarcity, Pillin pottery is highly collectible and sought after. less