Raku Urn - Anubis
Approx 25cm tall
Approx 20cm wide
Approx 3.2 litre capacity
The ancient Egyptian God Anubis is symbolically portrayed as the black head of a jackal. Anubis is uniquely perfect on a cremation urn as he is known as a guide and protector of souls in the afterlife. This is the reason you will see the jackal associated with ancient Egyptian mummification practices.
This large vessel is a one-off creation that cannot be replicated exactly. It is suited hold cremains of any adult human or large pet. I created this piece using the raku firing process. This artwork comes with it's own certificate of authenticity.
Western Raku is a very fast process inspired by a traditional Japanese technique. It involves heating the pot very quickly to 1000 degrees Celsius until it is glowing red then pulling it from the flames and placing it in a metal vessel (I use a rubbish bin) with shredded paper and sawdust which then burst into flame. With the new fire fully alight the lid is then put on. Black smoke is produced which colours the clay and the oxygen deprived atmosphere causes the glazes to change producing unpredictable and sometimes incredibly beautiful results. Here the stripes of Anubis' headdress are a bright yellow with traces of crackle.
As this is a handcrafted pottery item made from special tough raku clay and fired using the above raku process, imperfections like dark specs, crackle or unevenness in the glaze are embraced as part of the uniqueness of each piece.
Western Raku is a very fast process inspired by a traditional Japanese technique. It involves heating the pot very quickly to 1000 degrees Celsius until it is glowing red then pulling it from the flames and placing it in a metal vessel (I use a rubbish bin) with shredded paper and sawdust which then burst into flame. With the new fire fully alight the lid is then put on. Black smoke is produced which colours the clay and the oxygen deprived atmosphere causes the glazes to change producing unpredictable and sometimes incredibly beautiful results.