I hesitate to call the object below a plaque. A plaque is made by pressing clay into one mold. Here, however, we have a figure of a girl applied to a clay slab. All in all, the result is quite extraordinary. Size is 8 inches by 6 inches. Perfect! (Please overlook the black hooks used for mounting and the slightly crooked angle. Definitely not my finest photograph!)
Viewed from the side, you can see the high relief. Also, there is a gap between the back of the girl and the clay slab. It extends along most of the length of her body. The figure was made separately in a mold, smoothed on the back, and then applied to the rectangular clay slab. At the very top and bottom, the figure sits snugly on the slab.
So the first issue that drove me nuts when I looked at this is HOW did the painter paint black on the slab all the way under the figure without sloshing it up onto the figure itself? The figure is enamel-painted, and painting black enamel so as to evenly cover every scrap of space under the figure without getting black where it was not wanted would be impossible.
So the first issue that drove me nuts when I looked at this is HOW did the painter paint black on the slab all the way under the figure without sloshing it up onto the figure itself? The figure is enamel-painted, and painting black enamel so as to evenly cover every scrap of space under the figure without getting black where it was not wanted would be impossible.
I am fairly certain that the manufacture process went something like this:
The black appears to be colored glaze rather than enamel. In some parts it has run over the edge of the slab just like colored glaze does, i.e. with the black separating into a black-brown as it oozes.
If the black were indeed enamel, the slab and the figure would have to have been made separately....but then a high-temperature firing to meld them together would have destroyed the enamel colors!
So who made this gem? I have no way of attributing with certainty, but when I look at that face, it screams Ralph Wood.
- assemble the figure on the clay slab. Fire it.
- paint clear glaze on the figure and then paint black glaze (not enamel!) on the slab only. Glaze is somewhat runny, so it would have run beneath the figure. At the same time, it gets absorbed quite quickly into the porous pot, so it would not have created a sloshy mess and gone where not intended. Instead, it would have done just what we see here. Fire it.
- Paint the pretty enamel colors on, with great care. You can see where the hand slipped just a little at the bottom center.
The black appears to be colored glaze rather than enamel. In some parts it has run over the edge of the slab just like colored glaze does, i.e. with the black separating into a black-brown as it oozes.
If the black were indeed enamel, the slab and the figure would have to have been made separately....but then a high-temperature firing to meld them together would have destroyed the enamel colors!
So who made this gem? I have no way of attributing with certainty, but when I look at that face, it screams Ralph Wood.
The modelling of the girl's face really reminds me of the faces on the Patricia and her Lover plaque alongside.
This is the finest plaque I have ever seen. It is attributed to Ralph Wood, and it is decorated entirely in colored glazes. Unlike the slab with the girl, it is molded in one piece. If you turn it over, there are hollows in the back that correspond to the raised figures in front. A large, magnificent object, and a true treat to hold. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
This is the finest plaque I have ever seen. It is attributed to Ralph Wood, and it is decorated entirely in colored glazes. Unlike the slab with the girl, it is molded in one piece. If you turn it over, there are hollows in the back that correspond to the raised figures in front. A large, magnificent object, and a true treat to hold. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
Look at the faces on the Patricia and her Lover plaque below. Note the hooded eyes and the expressions. Am I the only one who sees a strong family resemblance between Patricia and her lover and the figure of the young girl? Their daughter perhaps??
The figure of the young girl has an old label on the back that states the name of a previous collector. It goes on to add that he attributed it to Ralph Wood and that in his collection of over 300 figures, it was his favorite object. I find that easy to understand.
P.S. Look at the center of the Lover's hat, near the hair line. See how the black has run into brown as it thinned out over that area. You see the same dispersal pattern on the edge of the black clay slab, and that supports my belief that the black is indeed colored glaze.
P.S. Look at the center of the Lover's hat, near the hair line. See how the black has run into brown as it thinned out over that area. You see the same dispersal pattern on the edge of the black clay slab, and that supports my belief that the black is indeed colored glaze.
