Pitcher Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the End of World War I
Photo from the Bard Graduate Center Gallery
On the Object.
The pitcher commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I is a vessel that embodies commemoration through its material, process of manufacture, and decoration. The object was made by the company Bideford Pottery, which is located in Bideford, England. This family-run business was established in 1983[1]. Since then, they have been making lead-glazed earthenware objects made out of locally sourced red clay. The potters produce the imagery on each ceramic work through sgraffito,[2] a technique of applying layers of slip onto the clay body and then scratching the surface away to reveal the layers beneath.
The work of the Bideford family is significantly influenced by the North Devon potters who made utilitarian and domestic works in the same sgraffito technique in the region during the 17th century.[3] This work mimics the style, color, and process that was commonly used in the town for their export goods. Nostalgia of a process is an inherent part of this pitcher’s identity. Through the Juniper family’s attempt to revitalize a lost craft tradition and style in the region, we come to understand one way that this vessel serves as a form of commemoration.
Above: photo courtesy of the Bideford Pottery Website
Learning the heritage and history of an object is imperative to understanding its meaning. This craft was revitalized after centuries of its decline. The act of making serves as a way of remembering a once flourishing part of the local economy and culture. Furthermore, the object itself has a history through the small, multi-generational family business. Commemoration is therefore multi-dimensional with this object.
When the work was made, commemoration was considered as the primary subject matter. Harry Juniper (Fig. 1) the founder of the company, made this particular relic for a local artist named Sally Manning. [4]She was taking a trip to the United States and wanted to bring a piece of Bideford Pottery with her to present to a museum for its collection.
Manning thought that commissioning and bestowing a commemorative object was a nice symbolic gesture for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was to recognize the long history of this style of pottery being shipped to the United States. It also signified a special connection, particularly because it was the centennial of the First World War, a significant event that impacted the lives of many in both the U.S. and the U.K.. Harry Juniper therefore gifted the jug to her, which resulted in it becoming a part of the Chipstone Foundation outside if Madison, Wisconsin. As stated in the study collection’s records, Catherine Whelan, who is a professor at the Bard Graduate Center, supposedly handpicked this object from the collection when the museum approached the school to place twenty items on loan for the BGC study collection.[5]
(Fig. 1) Harry Juniper with his Commemorative Pitchers. This photo is courtesy of the Bideford Pottery Website
Commemoration, Inscribed.
The Junipers are often commissioned to make commemorative works for a variety of events. The word “commemoration” is in the (only known) title for the object itself, signifying that the object’s identity is centered in this motive. Here, commemoration is also multi-dimensional through an event, a collective group and the individual. This is visible through the inscriptions on the jug.
There are different inscriptions on the pot that both reference a group of individuals and a specific event in history. On the belly of the vessel it reads, “AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM FOR THOSE WHO FELL IN THE UNITED KINGDON & AMERICA” (Fig. 2) The inscribed text points to a specific group, those who have passed. aware during World War One. This could perhaps be a commonly used phrase for war time commemoration, but here in this context, it recognizes the death of two specific groups of soldiers.
The ewer also calls remembrance to the event as reads, “THE GREAT WAR, 1918”. It is part of the culture of memorialization as it recognizes lost lives through this significant event. While it recognizes the collective groups of those in memorium, the individual is also acknowledged through the iconographic depictions of the lone soldier (Fig 4). labeled “YANKEE”. This object relates to this idea of belonging, which is connected to the other objects being observed. The collective is an essential part of the individual’s identity as it connects them to a larger community or society through the military and to a country of origin. Through the inscriptions, the owner, user, or viewer, is reminded of the pitcher’s potential for bringing forth annecdotal sentiment.
(Fig 2.) Photo from the Bard Graduate Center Gallery
This particular object relates to the other artifacts displayed in this online exhibition and the overarching theme of commemoration through the act of remembrance.
This pitcher effectively preserves memory through new modes of making. Preservation of memory through creating is a central part of commemorating someone or something because it allows for something that was once lived and perhaps to be forgotten to be remembered in a new representation. It enables the individual (or collective) to exist in a different time and for longer through a visual message. The physical act of commemoration refers to an active engagement in remembrance. The object, a concrete representation of the past, is able to transcend time through abstract meaning. Highly intentional acts of making as a means for acknowledging a history is present in all of these items.
Here, inscription serves as a metaphor, as the mark-making into clay. While a painted substrate can preserve a person, group, or event, the physical act of cutting into a surface is powerful in that it creates a sense of intention and permanence. We encounter inscriptions on grave stones and memorial plaques, the act of inscribing onto a pitcher seems to mimic this practice.
The Pitcher Commemorating the First World War, The Pedigree of Nobility, and The Portrait of a Man in that they all engage in memorialization through the societal, the familial and the personal. This work is societal because of its relation to the countries. It is familial in its audience typically places their ceramic item for use or display in the home and can be customized to refer to specific memories that mean something to their immediate relations. It can also be highly personal because of individual connection that one can have to the object. These notions are apparent in the object’s presented, but sometimes, one might engage more with commemoration and its relation to one facet over the others. For instance, the Pitcher Commemorating 100th World War One Anniversary has a greater connection to the idea of societal commemoration. The Pedigree of Nobility, however, represents the ideas of familial connection, whereas The Portrait of a Man is most like the idea of the personal.
(Fig 4.) Photo from the Bard Graduate Center Gallery
More About Commemoration
Commemoration can be experienced in all of these forms; singularly, or collectively with various groups and organizations. Commemoration is a form of creating and preserving memory, which calls into question of how one defines the term memory. With that, it is a personal experience and opinion to recognize what one thinks is worthy of remembrance, whether they form an official narrative, or a more intimate, personal one. Though emphasis can be place on one idea over the others, the other two aspects are definite present in the works.
Belonging and identity is a common theme found throughout all of these artifacts. Commemoration often confirms a sense of belonging as another individual or group or collective society. Belonging and identity can often be challenging to distinguish because they often go hand in hand. However, with belonging, an understanding of origin is not always entirely present. Whereas with identity, an assurance of consideration for origin is often at the core.
The Pitcher also relates to the other objects in that it is meant to be displayed and seen, which brings forth the idea that commemoration is meant to be experienced. It is important to acknowledge what we are commemorating and why we choosing to acknowledge them? This is especially significant in that these three objects were meant to be seen, and to reaffirm ones values through memorial acts. This object connects to the larger idea of a culture of values and moral. The objects relate to one another through the idea of the object’s physically address a tangible quality of a person or event. The abstracted ideas of being become concrete examples that demonstrate artistic intention.
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