Gravy Boat and Spoon, "Tomorrow's Classic" Pattern with "Fantasy" Decoration

designed 1949–50, produced 1951–60

On view, 3rd floor, Modern and Contemporary Art and Design

In the late 1940s, Hall China approached Eva Zeisel about creating a line of dishes. Zeisel produced two lines: Tomorrow's Classic and Century. These lines went on to become among the most successful china patterns of the 1950s. The Tomorrow's Classic pattern included this exuberant gravy boat and spoon, which are the most daring designs in the pattern and show contemporary interests in organic design. To Zeisel's form was added Fantasy decoration, a swirl of lines punctuated by gold dots. Although the design's name is vague, it clearly draws from nuclear imagery of atoms swirling around a core.

Medium: Earthenware with transfer-printed decoration
Dimensions: Gravy boat: 6 1/4 × 6 1/2 × 5 1/4 in. (15.88 × 16.51 × 13.34 cm)
Spoon: 5 1/2 in. (13.97 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of John Stuart Gordon
Accession Number: 2011.109.1.1-.2
Geography: Manufactured in East Liverpool, Ohio
Culture: American
Period: 20th century
Classification: Containers
Disclaimer: Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance

Jon Cramer, Massachusetts, by 2010; sold to John Stuart Gordon, New Haven, Conn., November 22, 2010; given to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn., 2011

Bibliography

"Acquisitions," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin: Online Supplement (accessed December 21, 2012), 13

Object copyright

In Copyright

Additional information

Subject

Women designers

Technical metadata and APIs

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