Large Ceramic Leaf Bowl with Banded Glaze by John Ward

A large stoneware glazed bowl in a rare leaf form by British studio potter John Ward (1938-2023) circa last quarter of the 20th century. The impressive, oversized bowl features a distinct leaf-shape along the contour of the opening. The interior surface is covered with beautifully composed glaze in white and celadon bands. The design is fluid and organic, following the contour of the interior space of the piece, mimicking the vines on an actual leaf. The exterior was covered with white matt glaze with slight greenish specks, done intentionally not to distract the visual focus on the interior. The surface features a subtle texture, signature to the style of the artist. The base is branded with the artist's iconic seal and initial "JW". Open bowl of this size and form is not common in the artist's repertoire and this is a beautiful example of his finest work.
John Ward's work was often inspired by his immediate environs, nature, plants and landscape. This bowl is a stunning piece that unites form, design and technique. under the singular aesthetics of the artist.
John Ward’s ceramic artwork is found in the permanent collections of many leading art museums including the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Biography (courtesy of Oxford Ceramic Gallery):
"The leading hand-builder John Ward was born in 1938 and trained at Camberwell College of Arts in the 1960s. He is one of a number of significant modern potters to have concentrated on the pared down individual vessel form, most particularly the bowl, as a touchstone for exploration. His generally simple work has been augmented by more complex structures, the shapes cut and altered, perhaps with abstract, geometric decoration and cut-away rims that give some of his pieces an architectural quality. In addition to urban surfaces, his work evokes honed natural forms, the kind of bonier, elemental landscape he has lived in since he moved close to the Welsh coast in 1979. His best pots speak eloquently of the limitless language of the bowl and globular jar, their sculptural and metaphorical resonances."