Otto Heino Lemon Glaze Pot ca. 1995 Clay, glaze
Gift of Madeline Hunter Farnsworth, Class of 1937 Permanent Collection 1995: The formula for a long-lost Chinese yellow glaze is rediscovered. Centuries ago, Chinese potters developed a high-fire yellow glaze. The formula for this glaze was lost until 1995 when Finnish-American ceramicist Otto Heino rediscovered it after years of trial and error. Every Wednesday, Heino and his wife Vivika experimented with different glazes. Two months after his wife’s death in 1995, Heino made small alterations to a formula that he and Vivika had tried before. To his great surprise, a beautiful lemon yellow glaze greeted him when he opened the kiln. This small matte lemon yellow pot is one of many works donated by Madeline Hunter Farnsworth, Class of 1937. Her contributions to the Permanent Collection, several of which are on display in this exhibition, illustrate her understanding of Wheaton’s commitment to the arts. Farnsworth played a major role in developing the collection through her many generous donations. She purchased art throughout her life, and began to collect specifically for the College after retiring from the Rockefeller Brothers’ Fund, donating nearly 300 objects before her death in 2006.
-Written by Morgan Bakerman, Class of 2013
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