Zuid-Afrikaanse Raku keramische leeuw “Rey León / The King” - Statue, “Leeuw “Rey León / The King” - 15 cm - Raku Ceramics

South African Raku ceramic lion “Rey León / The King” – KwaZulu-Natal – handmade - 2000-2010

Special and expressive handmade Raku ceramic sculpture of a lion, originating from South Africa. This characterful model is known as “Rey León” (The King) and can be found in the historical catalog of Kalahari Artesanado under reference PCRK043.

The sculpture was produced within a development project for small artisanal enterprises in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. According to the original catalog, it was handmade using recycled materials and subsequently artisanally fired according to the traditional Raku technique.

Raku – each piece is unique

Raku is a special ceramic firing technique in which the work is fired at high temperature and then exposed to strong temperature differences and reduction during the cooling process. This creates the characteristic color nuances, dark areas, and the fine crazing in the glaze.

It is precisely these unpredictable effects that make every Raku object unique.

This lion possesses a distinctive sculptural form. The powerful dark face is surrounded by large geometrically shaped manes in red, white, black, and yellow, while the body is finished with beautiful turquoise/blue-green glaze tones. The dark robust legs and the long tail, fading to yellow, enhance the almost tribal character of the design.

The bottom features an impressed rectangular workshop/maker’s mark and additional hand marks. The exact maker behind this mark has not yet been identified.

A historic catalog entry of the same model was offered by Kalahari Artesanado as “figura ceramica raku. rey león”, also with a size of about 26 × 15 × 10 cm. This is almost exactly the same as this piece.

Origin: South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal
Model: Rey León / The King
Reference: PCRK043
Material: ceramic
Technique: handmade Raku ceramic, polychrome glazed

Dimensions: approx. L 26.5 cm × H 15 cm × W 10 cm

Weight: approx. 676 g

Marking: marked on the bottom

Condition

In good vintage condition with normal signs of use and age. The glaze shows characteristic crazing in several places, consistent with the applied Raku technique and the artisanal appearance of the object. Due to the handmade production and firing process, variations in glaze, color, surface and crazing are inherent to this type of ceramic.

Please view the photos carefully; they constitute an important part of the condition description.

A decorative and exceptional collector’s piece where South African artisanal ceramics, expressive form and the unpredictable beauty of Raku come together.

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