Rooster by Karl Martz, ca. 1938.
The clay body of this rooster was made in a plaster mold by casting slip. Slip is liquid clay. The plaster pulls water out of the slip where it contacts the mold, forming a leathery skin. When the skin is thick enough, the remaining slip is poured out, leaving a hollow clay body. The plaster mold was cast around an original rooster sculpted by Karl. He then applied the glaze decorations by hand. How many of these roosters Karl made is unknown, but probably not more than twenty-five. Each had an identical body but individual variations in glazing. This piece is an example of a few low-volume production items that Karl made early in his career.
A similar rooster can be seen at the right end of the wide shelf in the Pink House Showroom.
Photograph by Tracy Murray.