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Rob Barnard Studio Pottery White Glazed Stoneware Tea Bowl (Chawan)
A wheel-thrown stoneware tea bowl (chawan) by American studio potter Rob Barnard (b. 1949). The piece features a high-shouldered, tapered form covered in a tactile white slip and clear feldspathic glaze, exhibiting subtle pinholes, micro-pitting, and surface variation reminiscent of traditional Korean-style (Kohiki) tea wares.
The vessel bears Barnard's incised personal mark—a circle surrounding a single center dot (enshin)—impressed into the lower body wall near the raw stoneware foot rim.
Rob Barnard studied pottery at the University of Kentucky before attending the Kyoto City University of Fine Arts from 1974 to 1977, where he was a research student under Kazuo Yagi, a founder of the influential post-war Japanese avant-garde ceramic group Sōdeisha. Returning to the U.S. in 1978, Barnard established his studio and kilns in Timberville, Virginia.
Beyond his studio practice, Barnard made significant theoretical and critical contributions to studio ceramics, serving as the ceramics editor for The New Art Examiner (1987–1993) and writing extensively for American Craft, The Studio Potter, and Ceramics Monthly. He was awarded two National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellowships.
Barnard's work is held in major public and museum collections worldwide, including:
- Smithsonian American Art Museum / Renwick Gallery (Washington, D.C.)
- Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) (London, UK)
- British Museum (London, UK)
- Museum of Arts and Design (New York, NY)
- Everson Museum of Art (Syracuse, NY)
- Mint Museum (Charlotte, NC)
Height: 4.5 in- Width / Diameter: 5.5 in
In original, as-crafted condition with no chips, cracks, or post-production damage. Natural glaze irregularities, subtle firing pitting, and surface texture are inherent to the artist’s firing process and intentional aesthetic.
