Plate
Circa 1960s

Porcelain
14.125 x 14.125 x 0.875 in.
Gift of Richard W. Gold from the Arthur J. Williams Collection
2024.12.8

Sascha Brastoff was a performer, designer, and the founder of a successful ceramics factory that operated in Los Angeles, California, from 1946 to 1962. He took an interest in ceramics at a young age, painting his family’s dinner plates, though the decorations were always washed away so that dinner could be served. Brastoff’s flamboyant drawings of animals, both real and imaginary, were frequently his subject matter. Untitled platter is a quintessential piece from his Los Angeles production line. Of particular note, is the extremely high gloss glaze on the work.

Brastoff formed his ceramics company with the support of his life partner Howard Shoup and the backing of Winthrope B. Rockefeller. At its height, Brastoff had around 100 ceramicists and decorators working for him. The production lines included dinnerware sets, vases, decorative plates, figurines and more. This wide range shows off Brastoff’s influences: theater and performance, futurism and abstraction, and the stylistic tastes of mid-century Los Angeles.

Billie Sessions, PhD.

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This object has the following keywords:

• blue
• green
• horse
• leaves
• plate