Late 20th Century Studio Ceramic Vessel by Brother Thomas Bezanson

Description

A ceramic vessel in the form of a footed bowl or chalice, studio crafted by Brother Thomas Bezanson (1929-2007) circa … more A ceramic vessel in the form of a footed bowl or chalice, studio crafted by Brother Thomas Bezanson (1929-2007) circa 1970s. Covered in a brilliant free form red glaze on white background, the bowl has the root of its archetype in Chinese ceramic and the glaze calls to mind the famed "Langyao Red" from Qing dynasty. However, the vessel appears modern with its abstract glaze pattern and also visibly turned stem. The interior retains some pearl like droplets of the glaze, which considering the vigorous practice of the artist, were unlikely random occurrence. The base interior incised "Benedictine Monks, Weston, Vermont" and with BT's cipher, also inked "311/15/4/1/P".

Brother Thomas Bezanson (1929-2007) was a Canadian born artist and Benedictine monk primarily known for his porcelain pottery and mastery of complex glazes. Strongly influenced by Asian pottery, often adapting traditional Chinese and Japanese pottery methods and materials to his work. He is renowned for his original glaze recipes and perfect forms and always sought to create something new and beautiful. His exacting standards made for the shattering of over 80% of each firing. One "rescued" piece however is now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. His estate is represented by Pucker Gallery in Boston.
See two pieces with similarity, one in the form and the other in its glaze pattern, see illustration 18 and 36 in "The porcelain of Brother Thomas The path to the Beautiful" by Godine/Pucker Safrai. less