Rudolf Staffel - Light Vessel

6 in. x 4.5 in.

Beloved in the Philadelphia craft art world, Rudi Staffel was also known worldwide as the first Studio Potter to highlight the magic of porcelain's translucency in his sculptural vessels. This stunning example is sure to add brilliance to your home and your art collection.

On its own, the porcelain has the fragile beauty one might expect, its surface animated with lines, ridges, divots, and bumps. The rim flares out slightly, almost mimicking a flower in bloom. When lit from within, the piece is a kaleidoscope of colors: soft greens, rich emeralds, and warm pinks dance across the surface like the aurora borealis

Staffel's "Light Gatherers" have walls of varying thickness, since, he declares: "To be aware of translucency, you must have opaqueness. ... It's the contrast in the body of the pot, between thick and thin, that gives the sensation of translucency." Thrown vessels are pinched by fingers or scored with sharp instruments, while the more sculptural, hand-built forms are often layered with pieces of clay to vary the transmittal of light.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Rudolf Staffel (1911-2002) is internationally known for his revolutionary work in porcelain. Staffel created vessels that emphasize the elusive physical characteristics of the material: its ability to reflect and gather light as well as its translucency and plasticity. His exploration of these qualities resulted in work that is as stunning as it is singular. His first interest in art was Chinese and Japanese brushwork, which he discovered as a teenager. He briefly studied painting and glassblowing; it was not until the 1950s that he began working with porcelain, the medium that would serve as his muse for the rest of his career. Staffel was on the faculty of the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia for 38 years and retired as a professor emeritus. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Art, Boston, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, are among the institutions that have collections of his work. Rudolf Staffel received the American Craft Council's Gold Medal in 1995.

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