Description

An exceptional and rare four-piece wheel-thrown and hand-modeled studio art pottery tea set executed by acclaimed California figurative ceramicist Arthur González in 1983. The set consists of a central lidded teapot and three coordinating small cups (two with thick, rustic handles and one handleless vessel).The teapot features a robust, thick-walled form with prominent horizontal hand-thrown ribbing. It is finished in a multi-layered, heavily textured ash-shino style glaze that gives way to a coarse, unpolished iron-rich clay body along the lower rim and foot.The accompanying cups serve as canvas for the artist’s signature narrative style. The raw clay surfaces are deeply incised with primitive, tool-carved illustrations. One cup displays a highly expressive, stylized human face bearing a grimaced countenance, while the remaining vessels are decorated with dynamic, leaping rabbit and hare silhouettes. Each cup is clearly incised "AG 83" on the base. Arthur González is an internationally recognized contemporary ceramic sculptor, painter, and tenured professor at the California College of the Arts. This specific tea set represents a critical milestone in the artist’s career, created in 1983—the exact year González received his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of California, Davis.Studying directly under the legendary Robert Arneson, González was deeply immersed in the revolutionary California Funk Art movement. The influence of this period is vividly apparent in this set's rejection of traditional refinement, opting instead for a "crude and rugged" emotional finish. The inclusion of the expressive human face and symbolic rabbit motifs directly aligns with his early 1980s narrative sculptures. Functional, utilitarian pieces from his graduation year are incredibly scarce, making this a highly collectible benchmark of West Coast ceramic history. Excellent condition. Visible surface pitting, minor glaze crawling, firing lines, and a rugged, sandy texture are entirely original to the piece. These characteristics reflect the artist’s primitive aesthetic choices and wood-firing techniques. Provenance: Private Collection

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Bidding Details

• Starting Bid: $100
• Buyer's Premium: 18%
• Auction End Date: