William Ricketts' Koala Teapot for Melbourne Exhibition

William Ricketts, superb pottery teapot made for the 1934 Melbourne Centennial Exhibition, tree stump form with gumnuts, branches and leaves, adorned with two koalas and seated swagman lid, incised 'Wm Ricketts, Melbourne, 1934', 25 cm high, 24 cm wide. William Ricketts' introduction to clay modelling is believed to date from around 1919, when he commenced work in the studio pottery section at the Australian Porcelain Insulator Company in Yarraville. Here, Ricketts sculpted small figurines and animals and learnt wheel throwing. Over time, he produced jugs, vases and bowls, many of which have Australian motifs. Comparisons have been made between Ricketts' early work and that of Merric Boyd, who also worked at Australian porcelain, with his wife, Doris. Before Ricketts moved to mount Dandenong in 1934 (and began work on his major undertaking, the sculpture park which now bears his name), he had contact with other Melbourne ceramic artists and sculptors, including Marguerite Mahood, Ola Cohn and Gustav Pillig, who tutored Ricketts in sculpture. Ricketts was passionate preserving Aboriginal culture and Australia's native bushland. His repeated depictions of Aboriginal people he met, or read, was his way of communicating to non-Aboriginal audiences the importance of Aboriginal dreamings, and their relevance to land conservation. He also seemed to be attempting to give a voice to indigenous people during an era when many white Australians were ignorant of their country's rich Aboriginal heritage. [Adapted from the essay by Lyndel Wischer, p.318 'Australian Art Pottery 1900 - 1950'.]