The Moon Jar, so called because of its shape and traditional white glaze, is one of the most iconic forms in the history of British Studio Pottery. The most famous moon jar, made centuries ago in Korea, was brought to England from Seoul in 1935, by Bernard Leach (founder of the Leach Pottery), who had spent time studying ceramics in both Japan and Korea. Leach called it a 'piece of happiness' and in 1943, lent it to another internationally influential potter Lucie Rie. Leach admired this moon jar as the best example of the beauty he found in East Asian ceramics. Rie admired it for its understated yet monumental simplicity. (Text source: the Fitzwilliam Museum 'Things of Beauty Growing: British Studio Pottery' (2018)) Annabelle Smith’s interpretation in a small scale allows you the opportunity to take in the whole of its impressive spherical form and the expressive brushwork that sweeps around it - drawing you with it.
Image above: 'Small Moon Jar, Brushed Geppaku' by Annabelle Smith of the Leach Pottery.