Stories from Nelson's past told through clay
With Nelson Clay Week drawing attention to all things ceramic in Whakatū, Nelson Provincial Museum senior collections technician Michael Davies compiled a diverse range of clay objects from the Museum’s collection and the stories behind them.
The plate acclaimed ceramist Mirek Smisek gifted to a couple who gave him a lift back into Nelson after his car broke down near Mapua in 1959. Nelson Provincial Museum Collection: NPM2014.91.1
For many decades, Nelson’s clays have been highly well regarded by potters across the country. The geology of the area even played a large part in some of the region’s early craft potters choosing to settle in Nelson in the second half of the 20th century.
One of those was the late Mirek Smisek (1925-2013), who arrived in Nelson to take up a position with the Nelson Brick and Pipe Company. He later established a studio to produce his own work fulltime.
The Nelson Provincial Museum Pupuri Taonga o Te Tai Ao is custodian of one of Smisek’s earlier pieces, which was accompanied by a heart-warming backstory staff recorded when it was donated.
Plate from Saxton Family dinner set. Nelson Provincial Museum Collection: A1832.8
According to the donors, they were driving home from Mapua one evening in January 1959 when they saw a man on the side of the road with a broken-down car. The heavily pregnant woman, Eila, and her husband stopped and offered the stranger a lift back into Nelson.
This act of kindness had a sequel, and the donation form continues.
“The man was Mirek Smisek. A few weeks later, baby Barry was born and Mirek arrived at Eila's shop with this plate – adorned with the child’s name – as a thank you gift.”
As well as pieces in recognition of kindness and personal milestones, the museum also holds works made by local potters to celebrate significant public events. Darryl Robertson’s plate to commemorate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 1996 visit to Nelson is on display in the Nelson Provincial Museum’s Regional Gallery.
An earthenware pot, or crock, used to store pickled, salted, or preserved food before refrigeration and easy access to supermarkets meant they were no longer needed. Nelson Provincial Museum Collection: NPM2009.36.197
Overall, the range of objects in the museum’s collections that are made of clay is incredibly broad and diverse, from the robust and utilitarian to the delicate and decorative.
One of the most ornamental objects in the collection is a late nineteenth century potpourri vase made by Meissen. It is covered in finely crafted and extremely fragile ceramic flowers and foliage.
At the utilitarian end, the collection includes pipes and bricks, even one salvaged from a well dating back to the 1840s.
A world before plastic
The ceramic collection features many day-to-day items used in the region since the earliest days of European settlement. Some of these items – like plates, bowls, and cups – remain immediately recognisable, while others are less familiar, having been replaced by contemporary products.
The museum holds a large dinner set (or possibly two identical sets later combined) that were brought to Nelson by the Saxton family in 1842.
“For example, refrigeration and easy access to supermarkets have reduced the need to pickld, salt or bottle food when it is harvested to ensure it lasts through the winter,” Davies said. “This has resulted in the disappearance of earthenware pots and stoneware jars, like the crock pictured. Produced both in New Zealand and supplied from the far side of the world, these were once a staple product.”
Earthenware ‘penny ink bottle’. Nelson Provincial Museum Collection: EC.47.71
Similarly, Davies said the tools used to produce the written word have moved a long way from the dip pens and ceramic “penny ink bottles” that were once used.
“They were, commonplace when New Zealanders wrote out by hand so many of the documents that we now print at the click of a mouse, or even just read from a screen.”
Clay was also used for other everyday containers. Before it was in a plastic tube, toothpaste came in ceramic jars, as did some makeup.
Changes in recreational habits also resulted in the demise of the clay tobacco pipe. These are now mainly found in middens and other archaeological sites, usually in fragments.
“They were so fragile that many were probably thrown away in frustration,” Davies said.
A brick used in a well in the 1840s. Nelson Provincial Museum Collection: A2544
As well as pottery made by artists in our local region and historical treasures, Nelson Provincial Museum has a collection of pottery from around the world that has been found in archaeological digs.
Plates, cups, and dishes are also commonly found in most archaeological sites, with their age dating back to anywhere between the early days of settlement and the advent of rubbish collection and centralised landfills.
The styles and patterns on the sherds, which is the term given to broken pieces found in an archaeological site, can give a valuable indication of the approximate date when the objects were buried and, hence, the history of the site. One example of this is the material excavated for the 2008 extensions to the Nelson / Whakatū court buildings.
Understanding the creative process
Some potters have combined the decorative and the functional in their work. One well-known local example of this was the Crewenna Pottery established by Harry and May Davis in 1962.
On display in the Regional Gallery are some glaze tags from Crewenna Pottery. Glaze tags are small samples of what the glaze will look like. These are an essential tool for the potter as the firing process often dramatically changes the colour of glazed ceramics.
An intricately decorated late 19th century floral vase by Meissen. Nelson Provincial Museum Marsden Collection: A1782.82
The tags are included in a display of examples of the work from studio potters in the Nelson / Tasman region. A timeline highlights key points in the development of local craft pottery in the twentieth century.
“The creative process to craft finished products from clay involves both art and science,” Davies said. “The creativity to envision the finished product. Then a mixture of physics and chemistry to sculpt, fire, glaze and then fire again to bring the vision to reality.”
“The museum has oral history interviews with several Nelson potters that provide an insight into their approaches to this process and their experience of working with clay and these recordings can be listened to by appointment at our research facility at Isel Park.”
Meanwhile, in central Nelson, one of the front windows of the Nelson Provincial Museum currently features the work of Motueka-based artist Sophie Holt, which includes some of her ceramic sculptures.
Broken ‘sherds’ of what was once a decorated dinner plate or dish. Nelson Provincial Museum Collection: NPM2015.6.71
PLEASE NOTE: these objects are not currently on display. For more information about the taonga in this article, please contact us.
Article prepared by Nelson Provincial Museum curators, with additional reporting and editing by Kerry Sunderland. The article was originally published in The Nelson Mail on Saturday 8th October, 2022. To view the story please click here.