Tall Mug, Beaker, Cup and Bottle (Dark Bronze) c1995

GWYN HANSSEN PIGOTT (1935-2013)

Tall Mug, Beaker, Cup and Bottle (Dark Bronze) c1995

woodfired porcelain (4)
13.5 x 8.5 cm (mug); 9.5 x 9.0 cm (beaker); 11.0 x 9.5 cm (cup); 23.5 x 6.5 cm (bottle)
each stamped with artist's roundel to base

Provenance:
Acquired from the artist, private collection, Sydney

EXHIBITED IN SYDNEY

Estimate: $4000 - 6000

SOLD

Gwyn Hanssen Pigott is commonly regarded as Australia’s most celebrated ceramic artist. Over a career spanning six decades, her work drew from a diverse range of influences while remaining steadfast in its craftsmanship. Early influences included the Kent Collection of Chinese and Korean ceramics in the National Gallery of Victoria, alongside Harold Hughan who introduced her to Bernard Leach’s A Potter’s Book, which became a cornerstone of Hanssen Pigott’s practice.¹ Later at the Sturt Craft Centre in Mittagong, her apprenticeship with Ivan McMeekin fostered a purist approach, using local materials and exploring the unpredictability of wood-fired kilns.

From 1958-65, Hanssen Pigott resided in England and later in France from 1966-72. During these stints, the artist met leading modernist potters Lucie Rie and Hans Coper whose experimental practices and mentorship fostered a deep trust in her own intuition. A pivotal moment came in 1971, when Hanssen Pigott viewed Giorgio Morandi’s 1970 touring retrospective in Paris which showcased still-life paintings of subtle and muted ceramic vessels — an influence that emerged in her work over a decade later.

In 1987, Hanssen Pigott presented her first ceramic ‘grouping’ — three refined bowls arranged to form a unified whole. This marked the beginning of a sustained exploration over the next 25 years, during which she created serene compositions of stoneware and porcelain vessels. Stripped of ornament and reduced to their purest forms, everyday objects like bowls, cups, bottles, and teapots were arranged with precision, their subtle glazes enhancing the quiet interplay of light and space. Attentive to the rhythm of the viewer’s gaze, Hanssen Pigott used the spaces between objects to create contemplative pauses, seeking to reveal the quiet presence she felt each piece contained.

The works presented here as lots 47-54 are beautifully crafted individual objects that hail from one of the most significant private collections of the artist’s work. The present owners befriended Hanssen Pigott when living in Mackay in North Queensland during the early 1990s. The artist was not known for her hospitality and very much disliked having visitors but did take a liking to this family who loved her pottery.

The family notes,  

When we first met Gwyn, it delighted her to see that we used some of her beakers at home as drinking vessels. She told us it had been many years since she’d known a collector to do so. One day when she popped in for a visit, we told her we’d love some water jugs to use alongside them. ‘Oh, no’, she said firmly, ‘I haven’t made jugs in years – and I don’t do commissions!’ But a few months later she turned up with the glorious jugs and we were delighted to add them to our collection.²

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Brett Stone with cataloguing the work in this collection.

Footnotes:

1. Harrod, T., and Smith J., Gwyn Hanssen Pigott: A Survey 1955-2005, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2005, p.11
2. The vendors in conversation with the author, 29 May 2025

Clementine Retallack

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  Cameron Menzies, Chairman & Head of Private Sales

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  Clementine Retallack, Art Specialist

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