Emmanuel Cooper Porcelain Jug

A porcelain Jug of flattened form with an intense predominantly red glaze made by Emmanuel Cooper, circa 2000.

Cooper set up his own pottery in London in 1963. Initially he focused on utility tableware, but later specialised in individual pieces with bold glazes, such as bowls and jugs. Jugs can be considered of exceptional interest to Cooper whose experimentation with this vessel was distinguished by a range of innovative glazes, like the unexpected glaze seen on this piece.

Cooper made many jugs during his impressively dedicated and successful career. Indeed, the many museums that hold his work possess a jug. [1] According to Cooper, ‘the jug is a form that relates directly to the domestic environment and to the 'concept' of use and functionality. It can be 'used' but is intended to be looked at rather than be functional in any conventional sense.’ [2]

The main body of this vessel is assembled from a thrown sleeve of porcelain, flattened and cut. The handle has been cut from a slab, and the spout is modelled.

Contrasting the clean, neat and functional form is the jug's glaze. Richly applied in layers, it is mildly textured, and dramatic containing colours of reds, blues, deep pinks and bright splashes or purple.

Cooper was one of the most significant figures in 20th & 21st century British ceramics, in the capacity of writer, editor, lecturer, and curator, as well as maker. Cooper was chair of the Craft Potters Association and helped found Ceramic Review in 1970.

As well as continuing as editor until 2010, he was an extensive and influential writer and broadcaster on the arts. His books include Ten Thousand Years of Pottery (2000), biographies of Bernard Leach (2002), Janet Leach (2006), Magdalene Odundo (2004), and Lucie Rie (2012), as well as works on working-class art and homo-erotic art and photography.

[1]. Cooper jugs are held in the permanent collections of museums including the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

[2]. Maker's statement recorded by the Crafts Council.