EXPRESSIONS IN BLUE MONUMENTAL PORCELAIN BY FELICITY AYLIEFF S h i r l e y S h e r wo o d G a l l e r y o f B o t a n i c a l A r t Roy a l B o t a n i c G a rd e n s , Ke w 2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 2 4 – 2 3 M a rc h 2 0 2 5
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EXPRESSIONS IN BLUE MONUMENTAL PORCELAIN BY FELICITY AYLIEFF S h i r l e y S h e r wo o d G a l l e r y o f B o t a n i c a l A r t Roy a l B o t a n i c G a rd e n s , Ke w 2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 2 4 – 2 3 M a rc h 2 0 2 5
Felicity Aylieff (b.1954), artist and professor at the Royal College of Art in London, is renowned for creating dynamic hand-thrown and painted porcelain vessels on a grand scale. Working in the city of Jingdezhen, China, (the ancient home of porcelain manufacture) Aylieff has developed enduring partnerships with teams of local experts. Such bonds have allowed Aylieff to realise her ambitions and push the limits of porcelain, this most challenging and captivating of materials. At Kew, Aylieff exhibits a new body of monumental work, with the tallest pieces towering over five meters high. These stacked monoliths are finely executed and painted with the artist’s expressive, gestural brush strokes in cobalt blue. The work demonstrates both the creative and technical innovation achieved by this visionary artist and her team, as well as showcasing an expressive, contemporary reinterpretation of classic Chinese blue and white porcelain. Aylieff also spent time in the Library and Archives at Kew, studying the world-renowned collection of historic botanical illustrations. Through a unique reinterpretation of the Chinese artistic tradition of Fencai (famile rose), Aylieff also presents a series of jewel-like botanical works. These delicately hand-painted vessels are a canvas for her graphic illustrations of a range of garden flora, which carry a personal significance. All works of art are for sale through Adrian Sassoon, contact the gallery for further information
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FENCAI AND BOTANICAL INFLUENCES Creating a body of work for an exhibition at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, provided Aylieff with an opportunity to study the magnificent collection of historic, botanical illustrations, amassed from as early as the 18th century in the Library and Archives. Amazed at the breadth of the collection and the quality of the beautifully observed studies, Aylieff was inspired to further develop a strand of her own work also rooted in detail and observation. Fencai (in the west, referred to as famille rose, meaning soft colours) is a traditional Chinese decorative technique dating back to the 18th century which sees the practitioner painting dark outlines in an oil-based solution, before in-filling the spaces created with jewellike enamel colours. The wide range of hues, created through combining crushed, pigmented frit and iron powder, are painted over a white, glaze surface as a secondary layer of colour.
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Hibiscus, Rosa-Sinensis: Hibiscus, Chinese Rose, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 203cm (79 7/8”) Diameter 75cm (29 1/2”)
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Hortus Botanicus: Botanical Garden, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 141cm (55 1/2”) Diameter 86cm (33 7/8”)
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Tulipa Insania: Tulip Mania I, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 55cm (21 5/8”) Diameter 45cm (17 3/4”) 16
Flores Abstracti: Abstract Flowers I, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 55cm (21 5/8”) Diameter 46cm (18 1/8”) 17
Paeonia Lactiflora: Chinese Peony, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 180cm (70 7/8”) Diameter 74cm (29 1/8”)
Paeoniae Rosaceae et Flavae: Pink and Yellow Peonies I, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 136cm (53 1/2”) Diameter 52cm (20 1/2”)
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Lilia Aurea: Golden Lilies, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel and colloidal gold Height 200cm (78 3/4”) Diameter 73cm (28 3/4”)
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Lilium Magnificum: The Magnificent Lily, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel and colloidal gold Height 53cm (20 7/8”) Diameter 46cm (18 1/8”) 22
Tulipae Mediae Noctis: Midnight Tulips, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 40.5cm (16”) Diameter 53cm (20 7/8”) 23
Tela Floralis: Flower Tapestry I, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 38.5cm (15 1/8”) Diameter 55cm (21 5/8”) 24
Ipomoea Purpurea: Morning Glory I, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 43.5cm (17 1/8”) Diameter 47.5cm (18 3/4”) 25
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Flores Imaginationis: Flowers of the Imagination I, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 44cm (17 3/8”) Diameter 43cm (16 7/8”) 27
Natura Morta cum Floribus: Still Life with Flowers, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain with painted Fencai over-glaze enamel Height 131cm (51 5/8”) Diameter 86cm (33 7/8”)
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Additional views of Natura Morta cum Floribus: Still Life with Flowers, 2023 30
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BLUE AND WHITE Aylieff likens the surface of her vessels to expansive canvases for her artistic expression. The large blue and white vessels are painted in a single spontaneous, almost performative event. The finished work is an innate response to the form in front of her and the creative charge she wishes to express. Aylieff works at pace and with purpose. A misstep could derail the whole artistic outcome. Whilst in China, Aylieff has made, collected and acquired an expansive range of brushes which she uses to create her repertoire of marks, as unique to her as handwriting. She uses giant brushes with lengths of horsehair over 30cm long, to whip around the vessel, creating energetic flicks and splashes. Broad brushes, with short bristles leave graceful, wide, arched markings, while her self-made bundles of twine create fine, corkscrew lines, which lend a shimmering, frenetic energy to the vase when applied densely across its surface.
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Blue: Sentinel Obelisk II, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 549.5cm (216 3/8”) Diameter 137.5cm (54 1/8”)
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Blue: Sentinel Obelisk I, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 538.5cm (212”) Diameter 139cm (54 3/4”)
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Blue: Continuum, Undulating Form, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 292cm (115”) Diameter 112cm (44 1/8”)
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Blue: Earth, Fire, Water, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 151cm (59 1/2”) Diameter 91cm (35 7/8”)
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Blue: Earth, Fire, Water, Undulating Form I, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 308.5cm (121 1/2”) Diameter 112cm (44 1/8”)
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Blue: Sentinel, Obelisk, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 364cm (143 1/4”) Diameter 109cm (42 7/8”)
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Blue: Oil Jar, 2024 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 106cm (41 3/4”) Diameter 97cm (38 1/4”)
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Blue: Triple Form, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 252cm (99 1/4”) Diameter 101cm (39 3/4”)
Blue: Earth, Fire, Water, Obelisk, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 374cm (147 1/4”) Diameter 109cm (42 7/8”)
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Blue: Lantern I, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 197cm (77 1/2”) Diameter 95cm (37 3/8”) 53
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Blue and White Vase, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide
Blue and White Vase, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide
Height 39cm (15 3/8”)
Height 47.5cm (18 3/4”)
Diameter 32cm (12 5/8”)
Diameter 35.5cm (14”)
Blue and White Vase, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide
Blue and White Vase, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide
Height 41.5cm (16 3/8”)
Height 44.5cm (17 1/2”)
Diameter 52cm (
Diameter 35cm (13 3/4”)
/2”)
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Blue and White Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide
Blue and White Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide
Height 39.5cm (15 1/2”)
Height 48cm (18 7/8”)
Diameter 46cm (
Diameter 37cm (14 5/8”)
/8”)
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Blue and White Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide
Blue and White Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide
Height 51cm (20 1/8”)
Height 43.5cm (17 1/8”)
Diameter 23cm (9”)
Diameter 38cm (15”)
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Blue and White Monumental Lidded Scribble Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide
Blue and White Monumental Lidded Vase, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide
Height 137cm (53 7/8”) Diameter 40cm (15 3/4”)
Height 135cm (53 1/8”) Diameter 42cm (16 1/2”)
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A Pair of Blue and White Scribble Vases, 2022 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 91cm (35 7/8”) Diameter 29cm (11 3/8”)
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Blue: Lantern II, 2023 Thrown and glazed porcelain, painted with cobalt blue oxide Height 198cm (78”) Diameter 96cm (37 3/4”)
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RECOGNITION FROM CHINA Aylieff is one of very few contemporary artists making porcelain vessels on a monumental scale. It is the use and development of traditional techniques, both the physical production and decorative aspect, which distinguishes her work. Such innovation has led Jingdezhen Municipal Government to recognise and thank Aylieff’s studio for its strong support and contribution to Chinese heritage. Aylieff’s studio space, RedHouse, was asked to host an International Seminar on Archaeological Protection and the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage application for Jingdezhen City.
China has not only exposed Aylieff to the wonders of porcelain making; the fine clay, gigantic kilns, bespoke machinery, tools and luminous cobalt glazes, but has also triggered a shift in her thinking as an artist. Witnessing the collaborative efforts of a highly skilled workforce (all specialists in different aspects of producing a work of art), encouraged Aylieff to question notions of ownership and broaden her approach to making. The works of art in this exhibition are the result of centuries of porcelain production, in a city built on specialist skills, as well as the tenacity and creative vision of a British artist, innovating across cultures.
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EXPRESSIONS IN BLUE MONUMENTAL PORCELAIN BY FELICITY AYLIEFF S h i r l e y S h e r wo o d G a l l e r y o f B o t a n i c a l A r t Roy a l B o t a n i c G a rd e n s , Ke w 2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 2 4 – 2 3 M a rc h 2 0 2 5
Image Credits Sylvain Deleu: pp. 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 32, 35, 37, 39, 43, 47, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 74 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Jeff Eden: pp. cover, 6, 19 RedHouse Ceramics Design Studio: pp. 21, 29, 30, 31, 41, 49, 63, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73 UCN Documentary Studio: pp. 2, 3, 45, 49, 51, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71
8 HEADFORT PLACE LONDON SW1X 7DH (by appointment) +44 (0)20 7581 9888 email@adriansassoon.com www.adriansassoon.com 72
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