Extra Large Handmade Ceramic Urn, Horsehair Raku by Susan Fontaine Pottery

Description

Pagota Top Horsehair Urn 8" tall 7 1/4" wide. This lovely urn will hold about 185lbs. of live weight ashes and make a lovely addition to your home or wherever it is placed. I threw the piece on the wheel with Grolleg porcelain and when it was bone dry I applied several coats of a Red Clay terra sigilatta (very fine clay slip) and burnished the pot to create a smooth sheen. After it was "bisque" fired to about 1800 degrees it was put in a raku kiln and brought to temperature of about 1300 degrees. The pot was then carefully and quickly removed so that horsehair and sugar granules could be applied to achieve visual effect. The window of time is only several seconds for the horsehair to burn and create a smokey trail and for the sugar to carmelize on the pot. The pot is then slowly cooled and gently rinsed before it is again burnished with an acrylic sealer to preserve the sheen. This "alternative fire" method is an art form and is not functional...it is not meant for food or water use. Wooden bases are sold for $20 under customizations. The lid can be temporarily sealed with museum wax or permanently sealed with an epoxy glue.