JENNY LEWIS on tue 18 jun 96
Richard - I love your description of the elephant foot pots. Thank
you so much for this little known item of information which,
naturally, set me thinking ... I wonder if way back there in
history, a misunderstanding arose. One of those early potters
mentioned to a fellow tribes-person that there was a method of making
pots by using elephants feet. So this other bod, not very bright you
understand, thought wow, great idea ... rushed out to kill a
beautiful elephant, created 4 pots out of the feet, and sold them as
umbrella stands (or something). They were very popular among the
local hunter-gatherers. Then along came the Victorians, or do I mean
Edwardians, and colonialisation, and lousy taste (I've skipped a few
years and miles here of course) and there you are - umbrella stands
made out of elephants feet are all the rage.
Good theory?
Aren't pottery in general and pottery history wonderful. You learn
something new every day.
Jenny Lewis
London, UK, HOT and sunny
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