George Day (1884-1966) arrived in Australia from England in 1886. He was head potter of the Mashman Brothers pottery in Sydney in the 1920s and 1930s where he specialised in modelling and mould making. Mashman Brothers Pottery had been established in Sydney in 1885 and like the English firm Doulton and Co, where they had trained, Mashman Brothers hired potters with special skills to make artwares. Most potteries established in Sydney in the late 19th century included a range of 'artwares' alongside their more commercial or industrial lines.

Day had trained under Alexander Murray, a teacher of modelling at Sydney Technical College where much emphasis was placed on the use of Australian motifs in the decorative arts. This salt glazed stoneware jardiniere by Day features modelled gum leaves, koalas and possums. It appears to have been one a number commissioned by the Mashman family in the early 1930s and is a rare signed example of Day's work. Significantly, the jardiniere presents a traditional ceramic form adapted in response to Australia's unique natural environment.

Source:

Powerhouse Museum

Location:

Auburn, New South Wales

Longitude:

150.15

Latitude:

-33.4833333