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BEN OWEN III North Carolina Pottery Huge Nautilus Bowl
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BEN OWEN III North Carolina Pottery Huge Nautilus Bowl
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Ben Owen III (born 1968) is one of the South's most popular contemporary potters and carries on the proud tradition of many generations of his North Carolina family, having learned from his grandfather, the master potter Ben Owen, whose own father (Rufus Owen), grandfather (Ben Franklin Owen), and great-grandfather (Joseph Owen) were all North Carolina potters. His widely collected pottery has been featured in numerous magazine articles and in public television shows including the Antiques Roadshow, as well as in the recent "Potter's Eye" exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art (and in the book of the same title by Mark Hewitt and Nancy Sweezy). His work is also represented on permanent display in a number of museums and has been commissioned for display (ex. major hotels and restaurants) world-wide. What a dramatic piece this is - I hope the photos can convey the size/dimensions and the variety of colors and textures in this wonderful bowl. This is a very large example of Ben Owen III's Nautilus bowls (a smaller example can be seen in the small museum area that is part of the Ben Owen Pottery shop). The Nautilus series was inspired by the North Carolina coast,and the inside of this bowl does conjure up images of windswept sand and ocean water, with the intermingling of the sandy colored salt glaze and the area of gorgeous cobalt blue. This particular bowl came from the collection of the late Professor Leonidas Betts of North Carolina State University, an avid collector and Noth Carolina pottery enthusiast who curated several important pottery exhibits at the university. I am including in this auction a postcard addressed to Professor Betts that features a Nautilus bowl almost identical to this piece - he had kept this postcard with this bowl in his collection, and it's interesting in its own right as it promotes the opening of Ben III's new showroom back in 1995. The bowl has a very impressive diameter of 15 inches, and stands 4 3/4 inches tall. It has a three-pronged footed base of 4 3/4 inches diameter. It is in superb original condition with no cracks, chips, hairline fractures, or signs of wear. The only issue to note is the presence of the two in-the-making spots that the cobalt blue glaze skipped, revealing the underlying salt-glaze color (shown in the photos, including a close-up image), but this is not at all unusual on a piece of this size and complexity, especially when one considers the traditional wood-fired methods. The inscribed signature appears on the base of the bowl: "Ben Owen III 1994" (see photos). A rare piece in this size, with an inspired design and glaze treatment, and a nice provenance as well. Offered with no reserve and an extremely low opening bid. I accept personal checks, money orders, and PayPal. T will be a $12 shipping charge for delivery by fully insured UPS Ground for this item and bowl will be carefully bubble-wrapped and double-boxed to ensure safe delivery. I will contact the winning bidder by e-mail shortly after the conclusion of the auction. Good luck!
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