Fissure Vase

A crack runs the full height of this vase — from neck to foot — and it has been kept. Whether it occurred in firing or in handling and was allowed to remain, the fissure is now inseparable from the piece's identity. It runs through the olive-green body in a wavering line, widening at points, narrowing at others, documenting the stress that passed through the clay.

The form otherwise is contained and considered: a narrow bottle with a small mouth and a tapered body. The crack makes it one of the most singular pieces in the collection — not imperfect, but honest about the nature of ceramic making in a way that more polished work is not.