Lorenzen Pottery (New Brunswick/Nova Scotia, Canada, 1949-2005)
Alma (Goguen) Lorenzen (New Brunswick, Canada, 1916-1998)
Ernst Lorenzen (Denmark, 1911-1990)
Lepiaota gracilenta (Slender Parasol Mushroom)
glazed pottery, red clay
4 3/8” long x 3” wide x 5” high
Notes: An early example of a Lorenzen Pottery mushroom, genus Lepiaota gracilenta, made by Alma & Ernst Lorenzen at their second location in Lantz, Nova Scotia, Canada. Lorenzen mushroom are renown and collected by universities and museums, as well as by collectors, for their accuracy with 245 different species of Nova Scotia fungi sculpted. Often used as teaching models these understated figurines represent an important area of Nova Scotia’s ecology.
Lepiaota gracilenta is a synonym for the Macrolepiota mastoidea commonly referred to as the Slender Parasol mushroom. An edible mushroom it is “initially spherical and pale brown with a darker brown area near the crown that breaks into scales, the cap expands until it is flat with a small umbo. The flesh of this mushroom gradually turns brown but does not redden noticeably when cut or bruised. The broad, crowded gills, some of which fork, are white or pale cream and free, terminating a small distance from the stipe. A double ring, the upper face pale and the lower face brown, usually persists around the stem but often becomes movable and occasionally falls to the base. The stem surface is white and is covered with small, closely spaced yellowish-brown scales. Slightly bulbous at the base, the stem tapers inwards towards the apex.” (Fascinated by Fungi, Pat O’Reilly)
“Creating these mushrooms wasn’t a simple process; it took approximately two weeks to complete one model. Alma first tried to transport the mushrooms back to their studio to use as reference models, however, she realized they wilt and lose their colour quite quickly. To ensure accuracy, the Lorenzens then photographed and sketched the mushrooms out in the field. Paint and glaze were applied with a brush, as these miniature works of art required precise technique.” (Acadia University.)
Alma, of Acadian descent from the 18th Century settler Joseph and Nanette (Surette) Gueguen, and Ernst a more recent Danish import moved first to Nova Scotia from New Brunswick in search of quality clay deposits for which they could pursue their interest in pottery. The mushroom’s were an incidental occurrence after Ernst challenged Alma to model one they had found, it would become a passion.
Markings: painted signature, location and species on glazed red clay base
Condition: Vintage, Excellent.
For Accuracy: an Antique it may show expected light signs of age. See Photographs.
Reference:
The Lorenzen Collection, Joyce Barkhouse, The Mushroom List, #121.
Lepiota gracelenta. Ernst and Alma Lorenzen. 8x9x6cm. (Canadian Museum of Nature.)
Permanent Collection: The Lorenzen Collection of Mushrooms. (Acadia University)
Lorenzen Pottery: Fifty Years in the Making (Owen, Lorenzen, Saulnier)
Biography: In the 1940s Alma Lorenzen (nee Goguen) and her husband began working with clay and experimenting with glazes as a hobby in Dieppe, New Brunswick. She had studied art and design at art school in Antigonish, Nova Scotia (St. Franics Xavier) and her husband had studied in Denmark. In 1949 they moved to Lantz, Nova Scotia, a location widely recognized for important clay deposits, where they set up a studio and pottery shop. In their collaboration Alma was responsible for glazing, design and decoration while her husband produced stoneware pottery. Alma Lorenzen also produced figurines of animals and was known for her realistic representations of mushrooms which were acquired for science collections throughout Canada and the United States. The Lorenzens were recognized internationally for their work which is held in collections throughout the world. EDUCATION: Saint Francois Xavier (Mount Barnard College). FILE & ARCHIVE LOCATIONS: National Gallery of Canada, ON – Library and Archives. University of British Columbia – Fine Arts Library. Canadian Museum of Civilization Archives, QC. Canadian Museum of History. (Canadian Women Artists History Initiative.
