Phoenix Vase
Design Date 1893
Designer Charles Brannam (1855–1937, English)
Manufacturer Litchdon Street Pottery (founded 1853), Barnstaple, England
Media ceramic
Dimensions 13 1/2 x 6 x 6 inches
Charles Brannam began working for Brannam Pottery under his father, Thomas, at the age of twelve in 1855 in Barnstaple, Devon in southwestern England. Brannam eventually took over his father’s business in 1879, building a notable reputation for himself. The business was so successful and well-known that European royalty, including Queen Victoria, are said to have been some of his many patrons. Brannam was known to use the decorative slipware “scratched though” method called sgraffito in many of his pieces. This technique allowed for the red body of the terracotta to be exposed, creating a striking effect. Aesthetic pieces of the time, including ceramics, emphasized an interest in beauty in artwork for its own sake without a need for utilitarian value. Many ceramic artists at the time found inspiration from Japanese and Medieval styles and included motifs from those sources in their pieces.
ON VIEW in Arts & Crafts Gallery 3
Markings Incised "CH Brannam Barum 12 1893" in bottom
Credit Line Collection Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
Accession Number 2017.34.005
