1969 Nancy Wickham Studio Pottery Vase Signed Dated MCM Organic Volcanic Vintage

The Silhouette: A gorgeous, heavy-bellied biomorphic globular sphere vase featuring a short, hand-rolled bottleneck rim. The Sgraffito Surface: Wickham was world-famous for her complex surface textures. This piece showcases master-level sgraffito comb work, where she carved a dense series of vertical fluted parallel ridges entirely by hand into the damp clay body before firing. The Structural Glaze: She utilized a beautiful, earthy, two-tone ash and salt glaze reduction finish. A deep, metallic-bronze / olive-green ash glaze blankets the shoulders, cascading seamlessly into an organic, textured oatmeal-gray base that highlights her hand-carved ridges beautifully.

This is a magnificent, museum-quality vintage mid-century modern studio art pottery master sphere vase. Hand-thrown and signed by the legendary American ceramic artist Nancy Wickham (Nancy Wickham Boyd), this rare vessel is precisely incised and dated 1969 on the underside base.

Showcasing an elite, Organic Modern or Wabi-Sabi sculptural aesthetic, this thick-walled stoneware piece features a heavy, globular "Vase Boule" form topped by a tight, hand-rolled neck collar. The exterior is beautifully decorated with Wickham’s iconic hand-carved sgraffito fluted line textures wrapped completely around the belly. The vessel is drenched in a masterful, reactive multi-tone reduction glaze, featuring a dark metallic olive-bronze ash glaze top that cascades down into an earthy, speckled stone-gray finish highlighting the carved ridges.

Nancy Wickham (1923-2009) studied at the famed New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and exhibited at the Ceramic National Exhibitions, with her permanent works proudly represented in major institutions like the Everson Museum of Art.

Condition: Exceptional vintage studio condition. The heavy stoneware body remains structurally flawless, pristine, and solid with no chips, cracks, hairline fractures, or post-production flaws. Glazes remain deeply rich, highly textured, and perfectly preserved throughout.

Measurements: Stands approximately 3.825 tall x [Insert Width, 3.5 inches wide at the thickest part of the sphere.

Markings: The underside base preserves her authentic, handwritten incised studio signature: "Wickham" alongside the handwritten date code "'69."