Sculptural Ceramic Ashanti Jar Robert Turner Published

Description

A glazed stoneware jar with lid by American Ceramist Robert Chapman Turner (1913-2005) entitled "Ashanti". The vessel was made in … more A glazed stoneware jar with lid by American Ceramist Robert Chapman Turner (1913-2005) entitled "Ashanti". The vessel was made in 1974, purchased in 1978 and held in the same collection since. It was published in the artist's monograph as shown below. One of the classic forms with variations in Turner's repertoire since 1970s, the jar feature a slightly irregular form with numerous surface patching and markings under an overall black glaze with blue tint. The dome-shape lid has a cross-shaped handle with small markings. The form was inspired by Ashanti culture he observed during his trips to Africa. Incised signature "Turner" on the base.
"In 1971–72, drawn by the power of African sculpture, and wishing to imbue his work with a greater sense of universality, Robert Turner traveled to Nigeria and Ghana. The trip proved transformational. In West Africa he was deeply moved by the way in which art was ingrained in daily experience, and by the beauty of traditional forms of architecture, pottery, ceremonial objects, and decoration. After his return, Turner began to produce series of distinctive vessel types named after African kingdoms and peoples—Ashanti, Ife, Oshogbo, Akan. The first is a squat, lidded pot; the others are cone and cylinder shapes." Smithsonian American Art Museum
Robert Turner's work is in numerous museum collections including the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City.
For this piece, see page 33 in "Robert Turner Shaping Silence A Life in Clay" by Marsha Miro and Tony Hepburn. less