Emmanuel Cooper "Ode on a Grecian Urn" Tureen

An early stoneware tureen with a running oatmeal glaze designed and made by Emmanuel Cooper, in the 1960s.

Cooper set up his own pottery in London in 1963, and it was utility items like this lidded tureen that he first focused on before later concentrating on individual pieces with bold glazes. 

The main body of this vessel is a thrown footed bowl, with applied handles. The knopped lid is also hand-thrown and features a cutout for a ladle. For us, this vessel beautifully expresses Cooper’s fascination and respect for domestic objects and the 'concept' of use and functionality.

This tureen is absolutely intended to be used but it is also designed to be displayed. Somewhat contrasting the humble foods, like soup & stew, that might be served from this bowl, the form is without doubt noble. Viewed straight on, the silhouette is reminiscent of a Grecian urn, like a stamnos or lekanis -which inspire the form of trophies.

Cooper was one of the most significant figures in 20th & 21st century British ceramics, in the capacity of writer, editor, lecturer, and curator, as well as maker. Cooper was chair of the Craft Potters Association and helped found Ceramic Review in 1970.
As well as continuing as editor until 2010, he was an extensive and influential writer and broadcaster on the arts. His books include Ten Thousand Years of Pottery (2000), biographies of Bernard Leach (2002), Janet Leach (2006), Magdalene Odundo (2004), and Lucie Rie (2012), as well as works on working-class art and homo-erotic art and photography.