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LEZA MCVEY (1907-1984) Rare Polliwog Pitcher with Off-Center Neck1954glazed stoneware, with partial vintage tape strip on underside inscribed in black ink 'LEZA S. McVey CERAMIC FORM #6 POLLIWOG PITC' and numbered '10101'height 10 3/4in (27.3cm); width 9in (23cm); depth 5in (13cm) image 1
LEZA MCVEY (1907-1984) Rare Polliwog Pitcher with Off-Center Neck1954glazed stoneware, with partial vintage tape strip on underside inscribed in black ink 'LEZA S. McVey CERAMIC FORM #6 POLLIWOG PITC' and numbered '10101'height 10 3/4in (27.3cm); width 9in (23cm); depth 5in (13cm) image 2
Lot 68

LEZA MCVEY (1907-1984)
Rare Polliwog Pitcher with Off-Center Neck
1954
glazed stoneware, with partial vintage tape strip on underside inscribed in black ink 'LEZA S. McVey CERAMIC FORM #6 POLLIWOG PITC' and numbered '10101'
height 10 3/4in (27.3cm); width 9in (23cm); depth 5in (13cm)

31 July 2025, 10:00 PDT
Los Angeles

US$6,000 - US$8,000

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LEZA MCVEY (1907-1984)

Rare Polliwog Pitcher with Off-Center Neck
1954
glazed stoneware, with partial vintage tape strip on underside inscribed in black ink 'LEZA S. McVey CERAMIC FORM #6 POLLIWOG PITC' and numbered '10101'
height 10 3/4in (27.3cm); width 9in (23cm); depth 5in (13cm)

Footnotes

Provenance
Lost City Arts, New York
An Important Private Art and Design Collection, Texas (acquired directly from the above)

Leza McVey was a pioneering figure in the evolution of the ceramic vessel, helping to shift the form from traditional symmetry to asymmetrical and freeform expression. Born in Cleveland, she studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art in the late 1920s and early 1930s, where she met her future husband, fellow artist William McVey. A pivotal moment in her development came through her studies with Maija Grotell at Cranbrook, whose influence encouraged McVey to move away from wheel-thrown pottery and begin hand-building her vessels, eschewing the conventional focus on symmetry. McVey's work also shows the influence of Henry Moore, whose sculpture she encountered during a 1949 exhibition in New York. His biomorphic sensibilities left a lasting impact on her approach to form and volume.

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