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MAGDALENE ODUNDO | Untitled (Vessel)
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
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Description
- Dame Magdalene Odundo
- Untitled (Vessel)
- incised Odundo/1987
- burnished and carbonized terracotta
- 12 in. (30.5 cm) high8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm) diameter
- 1987
Provenance
Queensberry Hunt Design, London, circa late 1980s
Literature
David Queensberry, Magdalene Odundo, London, 1991, p. 12 (for a related example)
Joris Picton, et al., Magdalene Odundo, exh. cat, Het Kruithuis, Stedelijk Museum voor Hedengaase Kunst, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, 1994, p. 35 (for a related example)
Anthony Slayter-Ralph, ed., Magdalene Odundo, London, 2004, p. 43 (for a related form)
Joris Picton, et al., Magdalene Odundo, exh. cat, Het Kruithuis, Stedelijk Museum voor Hedengaase Kunst, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, 1994, p. 35 (for a related example)
Anthony Slayter-Ralph, ed., Magdalene Odundo, London, 2004, p. 43 (for a related form)
Condition
Overall very good condition. The surfaces of the vase with scattered extremely minute irregularities in the finish, inherent in the making and not visually detractive. An exquisite example by the artist with striking visual presence when viewed firsthand.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Sotheby's would like to thank Magdalene Odundo and Anthony Slayter-Ralph for their assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.
Much of the work of England-based ceramist Magdalene Odundo bears the influence of ceramic traditions from her native Kenya. Her striking, voluptuous clay pots, typically made with a stylized, wide-mouthed neck, are infused with an array of cross-cultural and historical meaning. This is most apparent in Odundo’s technique: she does not use a wheel and instead favors a coiling technique, which allows her to hand build each piece and thus permits more formalistic flexibility. In her own words, she is “attracted to something that is almost a kind of electricity in how pliable the body can be. With plastic clay, while it is capable of being shaped to capture that mesmerizing, hypnotic achievement, the pot ends up in a motionless state. That is what I try to capture.” Similarly, Odundo does not glaze her vessels but instead laboriously burnishes the pieces repeatedly, a method used commonly by sub-Saharan potters. The dazzling black finish found in many of her late 1980s pieces are created by adding wood and wood shavings into the kiln with the pots, which produces a thick black smoke that fuses with the external sides of the fired piece and results in a mesmerizing and highly textured surface. The present lot is exemplary of the artist's unique aesthetic and technique.
Much of the work of England-based ceramist Magdalene Odundo bears the influence of ceramic traditions from her native Kenya. Her striking, voluptuous clay pots, typically made with a stylized, wide-mouthed neck, are infused with an array of cross-cultural and historical meaning. This is most apparent in Odundo’s technique: she does not use a wheel and instead favors a coiling technique, which allows her to hand build each piece and thus permits more formalistic flexibility. In her own words, she is “attracted to something that is almost a kind of electricity in how pliable the body can be. With plastic clay, while it is capable of being shaped to capture that mesmerizing, hypnotic achievement, the pot ends up in a motionless state. That is what I try to capture.” Similarly, Odundo does not glaze her vessels but instead laboriously burnishes the pieces repeatedly, a method used commonly by sub-Saharan potters. The dazzling black finish found in many of her late 1980s pieces are created by adding wood and wood shavings into the kiln with the pots, which produces a thick black smoke that fuses with the external sides of the fired piece and results in a mesmerizing and highly textured surface. The present lot is exemplary of the artist's unique aesthetic and technique.