While George Ohr initially made utilitarian pottery, he began experimenting with increasingly imaginative and inventive shapes after a catastrophic studio fire in 1894.

By slicing this vase in half, he emphasized that it was not a functional object. Instead, he underlined its quality as sculpture, appreciating its abstract beauty. He left the surface unglazed—without the layer of color and texture usually applied to finished earthenware—to reveal the natural character of the clay.