Horsehair Raku Vase
$245 current bidDescription of the Item:
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2 Watchers
9" x 10"
Pottery
leehazelgrove.com
My work with horsehair pottery has been a new and gratifying addition to my career-long study of alternative firing methods. In this process, pots which have been previously burnished are pulled from the kiln at it 1600 Fahrenheit, then strands of horsehair are laid across the hot ware, leaving a wondering linear smoke design on the surface.
Horsehair pottery was first discovered by the Native American Navajos. Folklore has it that a potter woman discovered this art form when her long hair accidentally blew and made an impression on the hot piece of pottery she was removing from the kiln. She went on the explore this technique with many other things like straw pine needles, feathers and finally horsehair. In later years, the technique was used to immortalize and celebrate horses who were especially beloved or had died in battle. Horsehair vessels are porous by nature and so not designed to hold water.
Donated By Lee Hazelgrove