Vally Wieselthier (Austrian, 1895-1945). Potiphar's wife, 1939. Glazed ceramic. 58-1/4 inches (148.0 cm). Signed, titled...

Description

Vally Wieselthier (Austrian, 1895-1945)
Potiphar's wife, 1939
Glazed ceramic
58-1/4 inches (148.0 cm)
Signed, titled, and dated by the artist

Vally Wieselthier (Austrian, 1895-1945) is regarded as one of the most idiosyncratic and influential female ceramicists of the twentieth century. After brief forays into textile design and painting, she was hired by Austrian designer Josef Hoffman in 1917 to create functional ceramic works for the Wiener Werkstätte. While there, through experimentation and collaboration, she gradually developed her signature expressive, playful style and incorporated it into utilitarian objects. In 1922, partly motivated by a desire to make sculptural works of larger scale, she left the Wiener Werkstätte to found her own workshop in Vienna. In 1932, she moved to New York and founded her own studio, where she continued to work until her death in 1945.

The present work, entitled Mme. Potiphar, was created in 1939, presumably at Wieselthier's New York studio. The name refers to the Old Testament story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, in which Joseph resists the repeated solicitations of Potiphar's wife. After she falsely accuses Joseph of assault, Joseph is imprisoned. Wieselthier artfully parodies this narrative by depicting Joseph as a pining figure grasping at the long legs of Potiphar's wife, while she remains unengaged. A monumental, dynamic and subversive work, Mme. Potiphar encapsulates many of Wieselthier's strengths as an artist.

In December 2021, Mme. Potiphar was discovered in a Missouri property that the present owner had recently purchased from Four Seasons Lakesites LLC. It's location suggests that it may have been originally owned by renowned hotelier Harold Koplar.



More information about Vally Wieselthier. See also: Wieselthier, Vally Artist.

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