{"product_id":"willi-michalski-australian-1935-2022-a-five-piece-studio-pottery-tea-service-circa-1980s","title":"WILLI MICHALSKI (Australian, 1935–2022) A Five-Piece Studio Pottery Tea Service, circa 1980s","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis seminal set by one of Sydney's leading 20th century studio potters comprises; a cylindrical teapot with an overhead cane handle and four matching globular tea bowls. Each piece is executed in high-fired stoneware, enveloped in a celadon glaze with a pronounced Ge-style crackluer. Each side of the teapot is centrally adorned with a hand-applied neoclassical cherub mask in high relief, flanked by trailing foliate sprigging. Each vessel features a rhythmic, spiraled \"chatter\" mark to the foot and bears the artist's impressed circular seal to the lower body.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTeapot Height: 14 cm (excluding handle)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProvenance: Private Collection, Sydney.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBIOGRAPHICAL NOTE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Germany, Willi Michalski emigrated to Australia in the 1950s, eventually establishing himself as a cornerstone of the Sydney ceramics community. Operating primarily from his studio in Frenchs Forest, Michalski became a master of the reduction kiln. While many of his contemporaries focused on the minimalist \\\"Leach-Hamada\\\" tradition, Michalskis work was distinguished by its technical ambition and its embrace of colour and ornamental history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis work is held in numerous public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) and the Powerhouse Museum. His legacy is defined by a rigorous dedication to the chemistry of glazes and the tactile, sculptural potential of the stoneware medium.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCOLLECTORS NOTES: A SEMINAL WORK\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis tea service represents a seminal intersection in Michalskis oeuvre, showcasing the artist at the height of his technical and decorative powers. While his functional ware is highly regarded, it is his \\\"Mask Series\\\" to which this set belongs that elevates his work from craft to conceptual art.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Neoclassical Hybrid: The use of the applied cherub mask is a daring departure from the traditional austerity of Eastern celadon. It reflects Michalskis European heritage, transplanting a \\\"Baroque\\\" sensibility onto a form rooted in the Song Dynasty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGlaze Mastery: The \\\"fullness\\\" of the glaze and the controlled network of crazing (crackle) indicate a master-level understanding of reduction firing. The glaze is intentionally pooled around the relief work to soften the features of the masks, creating an ethereal, underwater effect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis set is a definitive example of the Sydney School of pottery, a bridge between European decorative tradition and the Australian studio movement.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Circa20","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52927462736194,"sku":null,"price":950.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0795\/9271\/8658\/files\/willi-michalski-australian-1935-2022-a-five-piece-studio-pottery-tea-service-circa-1980s-bazaa-designer-vintage-and-antique-furniture-2354643.jpg?v=1776903317","url":"https:\/\/bazaa.com.au\/products\/willi-michalski-australian-1935-2022-a-five-piece-studio-pottery-tea-service-circa-1980s","provider":"Bazaa","version":"1.0","type":"link"}