Description

This frog pitcher set is by the renown Mexican potter Gorky Gonzalez. His pottery is based on the double-glaze technique known as Majolica, which had been abandoned in Mexico after Mexico’s independence from Spain. Gorky began to revive this technique in the 1960s and honed his ceramic skills by studying traditional pottery in Japan. Upon returning to Mexico, he opened a ceramic studio in Guanajuato dedicated to Majolica pottery. Using clay extracted from the Santa Rosa mountain range, Gorky formed his ceramic pieces on a specially made potter’s wheel, painted his pieces using mineral based and locally made enamels, and fired his pieces twice to fix the glaze. The flower and leaf patterns on these pitchers were hand painted using cat hair brushes and a cobalt oxide enamel. In 1992 Gorky earned Mexico's National Award of Science and Arts in the field of Popular Art and Traditions. He passed away in 2017 but his son, Gogo, and family carry on the tradition that his father carefully built and continues with their traditional craftsmanship. These pitchers are part of the museum’s A.V. Shirk Collection.