DESCRIPTION

A "Taurus" figure or bull made of matte black ceramic designed by Arnold Machin in the mid 1940's for Wedgwood. Because of the resource constraints during the Second World War, Machin was tasked with developing objects which could be easily manufactured by a scarce workforce. The bull met this requirement, made in two halves which could be put together easily, the bull remained in production for thirty years. The bull measures approximate 14 3/4 inches in length, 4 1/4 inches at its widest and 5 3/4 inches at its tallest. The figure is marked on the bottom "Wedgwood / A Made In England 76".

BIOGRAPHY OF DESIGNER

Arnold Machin (1911-1999) was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, he was a member of a large family of pottery workers. At the age of 14 Machin became an apprentice figure painter at Minton china works while he was studying part-time at Stoke School of Art. Five years later he joined the Derby china works before winning scholarships to Derby School of Art and then the Royal College of Art, where he won a traveling scholarship and the College medal. After completing his education he returned to the potteries where he began his long association with Wedgwood. This was soon interrupted when he was imprisoned as a conscientious objector, but after the Second World War his many commissions for the pottery company included Taurus the Zodiac Bull, a specimen of which Hugh Gaitskell presented to Nikita Khrushchev during a visit to Moscow in 1956, as well as relief portraits and busts of Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt. In 1951 he returned to London where he spent seven years as a ceramics tutor at the Royal College of Art before being appointed Master of Sculpture at the Royal Academy Schools. He was elected a Royal Academician in 1956 and was awarded the OBE in 1965. His favoured medium was terracotta and in 1947 his life-size figure of Spring which had been exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition was acquired by the Tate Gallery, which already possessed his St John the Baptist and The Annunciation. He was also interested in architectural and garden design and, at his home in Staffordshire, he gradually created an arcadian garden with bridges, fountains, waterfalls and grottos.

CONDITION

The bull is in good vintage condition, no chips or cracks. There is a small factory white dot on the under belly of the bull, not very noticeable.

SHIPPING

The piece will be shipped via FEDERAL EXPRESS in the US and USPS outside the US, the item will be packed well with bubble wrap and shipped in a sturdy cardboard box, fully insured and the package will have to be signed upon delivery.  Please CONTACT with your ADDRESS and ZIP CODE for SHIPPING CHARGES.  

PLEASE NOTE DESCRIPTION, CONDITION AND PHOTOGRAPHS CAREFULLY, FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND TO REQUEST OTHER PHOTOGRAPHS, RETURNS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.  THIS ITEM IS SOLD "AS IS" AND "AS DESCRIBED".