The Zodiac Series

Posted by Frances Ma on

Our hand-sculpted Aries, Taurus, and Gemini tiles are placed in an arch on a deep, blue, historic star map. The Taurus tile features a sturdy bull with its head bowed and horns lowered. The Aries tile has an alert ram with its legs positioned as if it is prancing. The ram's head is turned backwards over its shoulder. Gemini is depicted by two men, “the twins” in flowing robes. One is holding a bow, the other is holding two arrows.The first trio in our Zodiac Collection featuring Aries, Taurus, and Gemini
Pewabic Designer Chris Mayse embarked on an ambitious project: hand-sculpting the twelve signs of the astrological calendar. We released the first trio in the series—Aries, Taurus, and Gemini with the release of our Spring 2024 Collection.
The concept for these tiles originated from Annie Dennis, Pewabic's Archivist and Education Director, whose meticulous research in Pewabic's archives sparked the idea. Pewabic Co-founder Mary Chase Perry Stratton visited Europe in the 1920s to gather inspiration for a large tile installation she would design for the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. During her travels to sacred spaces in Portugal, Spain, and Italy, Mary was inspired by the convergence of astrology and religion in ancient architecture. She often utilized astrological symbols in her installations in religious spaces and as decoration on vessels.
Annie has been spearheading our ongoing Virtual History Talk series, exploring stories from Pewabic's history spanning over a century. Her unwavering fascination with collecting the star charts of Pewabic staff members inevitably led to the development of the Zodiac Series.
We are halfway through our Zodiac Tile Series as we add Cancer, Leo, and Virgo to the collection
Chris recalls, "To my knowledge, the concept for these originally came from Annie Dennis and was inspired by her Pewabic archives research." As they delved into the early stages of design, Chris aimed to draw on traditional representations of the zodiac, seeking the oldest imagery he could find.
However, Chris soon discovered that historical imagery often lacked crucial elements: relatability, substantial visual interest, and uniqueness. He realized that each design needed to stand on its own, without relying on the strength of the rest of the series. He notes that “If the imagery or sculpting quality required the rest of the series to exist, or to "prop it up" by giving it context, it was unsuccessful and required more work.” 

Pictured below: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo

 

Black and white photo of Pewabic Designer Chris hand-sculpting a portion of a tile included in our ongoing Zodiac tile series.Pewabic Designer Chris Mayse sculpting one of the Zodiac series tiles in the studio

To achieve this goal, Chris decided to use Greco-Roman-inspired forms for human representation and more traditional symbolism for animal signs. He explains, "Something that was important to me was to include human figures with signs like Aquarius. I didn't want to simply show an amphora of water being poured—I wanted to show the water bearer as well." Chris held true to his guiding principles, even when considering more iconic and recognizable symbolism of signs such as Aries–– “For example, the (Aries) ram wouldn't look out of place on ancient shield decoration, but when held in the hand and on these tiles, it feels and reads like a newly-minted precious art object.” 

 

The glossy gold Honey Gloss glaze pools across the low-relief sculpted ram form of this Aries tile. Two graceful hands hold the tile in natural light to show off the glossy surface.Pewabic artist holding the Aries Tile

The sculpting process for these tiles was no easy feat, with twelve different designs to create. Chris experimented with various approaches to streamline the process, ultimately settling on designing a unique metal plate for each tile on the computer and sculpting with hard wax on top of the plate.

The attention to detail is evident in each tile, reflecting Chris's commitment to creating designs that are both historic and modern. The bas-relief sculpting style used on these tiles adds depth and texture, giving them a timeless quality reminiscent of ancient marble carvings. 

 

Black and white photo of Designer Chris meticulously sculpting one of the tiles included in our ongoing Zodiac CollectionPortraits of Chris and all others included in this post were taken by Detroit photographer Emily Berger 

This project is a testament to the collaborative spirit at Pewabic Pottery, where shared interests, customer inquiries, and unique ideas are nurtured and developed into show-stopping creations. Product Development meetings, open to all departments, allow staff members to submit their designs, ensuring that innovative ideas like the Zodiac Series can come to fruition.

 

We applaud Chris for his remarkable achievement and look forward to releasing the rest of the signs in trios as we progress through the astrological calendar. Visit us in-store Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm to get a closer look at these exquisite tiles.

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