Teco Vase, early 20th century, Terra Cotta Tile Works - Teco.
Teco's matte finishes and organic shapes have become synonymous with the Prairie School movement. Frank Lloyd Wright had them produce some of his designs.
Star Dragon
Dragon of Marduk, Neo-Babylonian, Reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, Detroit Institute of Arts.
The Latin word for dragon, draco means both dragon and snake. This glazed brick representation of a dragon comes from Babylon of the fabled Hanging Gardens. The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin has recreated the Ishtar Gate which depicts many guardian animals, both mystical and real.
Guillaume
Egyptian Faience Hippo, Middle Kingdom Period, 3800 - 1710 BC.
Faience is a type of ceramic with a high concentration of quartz. When fired it turns a bright blue. While the Ancient Egyptians considered the male hippo very dangerous the female was thought to bring luck in maternity. The lotus flower and other plants that decorate the body represent the river where the hippo lives.
Also see William at the Met.
Patchwork
The Boulders by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, c. 1923-26, Hunterian Art Gallery, U of Glasgow.
This C.R. Mackintosh watercolor was done after he had arrived in the south of France on the Mediterranean coast where he was struck by the natural rock formations and sets them up in this painting as a contrast to the roofs of the buildings.
Tchotchke Domination
Meissen Figure Group, artist Johann JoachimKändler, c. 1745-50, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Meissen porcelain was named after the town where porcelain began to be manufactured in 1710. The key to the success of these European porcelain makers, was that they had managed to replicate the hard-paste porcelain techniques that the Chinese had developed and kept secret for centuries. Most people associate Meissen with highly decorative figurines like the one above, but all different types of ceramic goods were manufactured in the area.
Meissen Tea Canister and Cover 1710-13, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Some of the typical "crossed swords" Meissen marks.