Two-handled casserole dish and cover

Notes

Joel Sibisi, trained by Peter Tybjerg as a thrower, was one of the original ceramic team at Rorke's Drift and worked there between 1969 and 2008.

This piece is typical of the early period, which was characterised by simple and more overtly 'European' forms. It is decorated in monochromatic colour depicting figurative figures of men, animals and mythical creatures. These motifs were derived from indigenous mythology, oral history and biblical stories. The earth-coloured slips and oxides, often unglazed, result in an earthy body with a matt finish. Sibisi, also trained in printmaking, used incised decorative or sgraffito marks which echo the linocut carving technique.

Rorke's Drift ceramic studio was founded in 1966 by Kirstin Olsson. It is housed in the Art and Craft Centre of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Africa in KwaZulu-Natal. The studio produced a variety of utilitarian wares, including crockery, tea services, mugs, vases and bowls, as well as expressive, sculptural vessels. Wares were designed to find markets in Sweden and South Africa and recall both indigenous traditions combined with distinctly European forms.

The potters at Rorke's Drift set a precedent amongst South African black potters by signing their works on the base of the pottery and further adding the date and kiln data alongside the leaf logo of Rorke’s Drift. This practice copied Western potters who identified their works with potter’s marks, signatures or monograms.