Plaque with Madonna and Child

The Finnish-born Maija Grotell was one of the most influential potters working in the vessel tradition during the 1930s and 1940s. Even though a relatively large number of women had played important roles in the Art Pottery movement of the early twentieth Century, few female ceramists were active between the wars. Grotell was one of the exceptions. After first studying in her native Finland, in 1927 Grotell immigrated to the United States to study under master potter and influential teacher, Charles Fergus Binns at the New York State Clayworking School at Alfred University. Like so many other potters, Grotell soon began teaching to sustain her ceramics career. This plaque was executed while Grotell was teaching ceramics at the Henry Street Settlement House in New York City. Grotell’s interpretation of the Mother and Christ child reveal the influence of Matisse and the School of Paris. She had begun work in this style while still in her native Finland, and then emphasized it when she came to New York.