03/01/2024
CAPTION:
"The Mighty Bitty Bulbous Patchwork Lidded Urn"
DESCRIPTION:
I think I should first tell the world about a remarkable story of the clay that these Bittys and all their kin from massive garden pots towering Pedistals, garden domes & hedge edges. Well, whilst working in the mountains of Italy, we came upon a little village called Imprunetta.
There were mounds of hand dug. Clay all round the perimeter. We noticed it as having a very rugged compaction, almost — as if it was a naturally made clay BODY, not a measured one. In deed it WAS a natural clay. Body!
We had never seen a clay body as supple, yet as rugged as this, ever before. We spoke to a fellow we knew, who told us that the Vatican had bought up all the clay pits, and would let no others dig in the region
—The reason being that in ancient days all of the buildings and palaces and churches had THIS PARTICULAR clay perched upon the tops in the forms of durable roof tiles decorative edgings, sculpture of this clay, and urns and vases and turrets and Crosses & reliquary of this clay.
And the Vatican gardens, also adorned with walls and fountains, arches and maidens … all of this clay.
If it was sold to potteries, they would eventually dry up the pits and have nothing this strong to work with for repairs or further enhancements. So there was no use even asking about it.
It's key quality is that it is mostly frost resistant and in the Alpine mountains of Italy, this as a wonderful gift. Much damage was done in winter with freezing and thawing, but for the wonder of imprunetta clay.
When it was discovered how much Victoria & Richard were doing for the Italian potters employment in potteries throughout Tuscany, providing work through the implementation of Victoria & Richard Emprise designs, and their desire to enter the garden ware world with clay that does not crack and sliver off due to freezing, thawing & spalling, someone of the caretakers representing Vatican made a special provision for us to experiment and produce product from the inimitable Imprunetta clay pits.
This, this wee Bitty Bulbous Patchwork lidded urn, born on the backs of our hard works and consistent quality.
There is another story for these patchworked pieces set in our well known putty pots:
Nothing is ever wasted, nor hoarded with fear. When we came back from many work sessions in Italy and other parts of Europe, we found that our market had diminished to nearly nothing. The people who took-over our company, being protective of the desire to keep folks from knowing anything had changed with MacKenzie-Childs, were concerned that, though we had developed so many very new and different designs, well, they that it may raise questions about us, what happened, where are we, whose behind our company, they didn’t wasn’t anything to look changed. So having us with our networks and name, it was a threat. So they stopped the sale of our works by threatening the market that they would not sell “MacKenzie-Childs” to them if they bought, also our networks.
Everest down with so many components, now not able to be used. So the pretty brass nuts surrounding the lids of the Bitty Bilbous, is a memory of that time when we had at hand so many components but nowhere for them to go. We made only a few of these, for their market had been lost to us.
But I love how they are the moxie to be in good service, no matter what!
A. Channel Mammal in Instagram of FB recently suggested we package up sundry components and sell them to families everywhere, so that THEY CAN MAKE INVENTIONSXWITH WHAT SEEMS TO BE LOST TO THE WORLD.
We are going to do that!
Isn’t it a wonderful way to share and yet, not to make our original company, now with different thought all together, not to be concerned, as, to them it would seem just rubbish and nothing folks would want anyway.
I am so excited about it.
What do you think?
https://www.etsy.com/shop/VandRmacKenzieChilds
http://www.victoriaandrichardemprise.com
