Henry Mead

American
(1928–2018)

Lidded Tureen
1965

16.5 x 14.75 x 14.75 in.

Lidded Tureen, made in 1965, is a deep, wheel-thrown, round dish with a softly curved lid that sits atop the form on a tightly fitting flange. The simple shape of the pot, as well as the lug handles on the vessel and loop handle on the lid, possess a quiet refinement that speaks to the utility of the piece as an object meant for daily use as a serving dish for soups and stews. The unadorned surface of the pot is covered in a shino glaze, a satin-like glaze that has a high feldspar content originally formulated in Japan. The shino has been applied in various thicknesses, allowing the soft red color of the stoneware clay body to discolor the white glaze to yellow and to show though the glaze where the application is thinnest.

Born in 1928, Henry Mead spent much of his career as a potter and educator living in Denver and Carbondale, Colorado. He received a Master’s Degree in Ceramic Design and quickly established his own pottery studio just west of Castle Rock, Colorado in 1964. The location of this studio had a significant impact on his unique aesthetic as the local clay, a fine yellow powder that turns a soft red when fired to stoneware temperatures, yielded a particular color palette when combined with glazes. Mead taught ceramics at Temple Buell College, special classes for the Colorado Potters Guild and was chairman of the Colorado Artist-Craftsmen until he moved to Pasadena, California in in early 1990’s. There he continued to make and collaborate with his partner and fellow artist, Joyce Newman, until his death in 2018 at 90-years-of-age.

Ayla Murray

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This object has the following keywords:

• red

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

• Unearthed , 8/23/2022 - 5/14/2023

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