SKU: 85400290386

WILLIAM & POLIA PILLIN FLAMBÉ BOWL OR CACHEPOT

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Description

WILLIAM & POLIA PILLIN FLAMBÉ BOWL OR CACHEPOTA stunning, orange and yellow, triangular flamb bowl or cachepot by William and Polia Pillin. In excellent vintage condition with no chips, cracks, or crazing! POLIA PILLIN (19091992) was a Polish American painter and potter during the previous century, best known for distinctive, highly crazed, hand painted ceramics, often produced in collaboration with her husband Bill. She was born Polia Sukonic in Czstochowa, Poland, to a talented family of

A stunning, orange and yellow, triangular flambé bowl or cachepot by William and Polia Pillin. In excellent vintage condition with no chips, cracks, or crazing!

POLIA PILLIN (1909–1992) was a Polish-American painter and potter during the previous century, best known for distinctive, highly crazed, hand-painted ceramics, often produced in collaboration with her husband Bill. She was born Polia Sukonic in Częstochowa, Poland, to a talented family of weavers, potters, and coppersmiths. Sent to live in Chicago at fifteen in 1924—near the tail-end of the mass migration of Eastern European Jews to the US—she worked long hours in the garment industry during the day and took night classes in painting and sculpture at the local Jewish People’s Institute. In 1927 a cousin introduced her to William “Bill” Pillin (1910–1985), a fellow émigré whose family had settled in Chicago after fleeing pogroms in the Ukraine. They were married that year.

Bill aspired to become a published poet, and an opportunity arose during the Depression for him to secure a job with the Federal Writers’ Project. The travel involved took him all across the US, including the Southwest. In 1936 he returned with Polia to New Mexico, and they moved onto a sixteen-acre farm outside of Albuquerque. Conditions were harsh, with the closest water source several miles away, but they found the isolation inspiring. After the birth of their son Boris in 1940, however, the Pillins decided to rejoin civilization, and they moved back to Chicago. (During his lifetime, Bill’s verse would appear in over 100 literary reviews, and he would publish nine, well-received collections of work.)

Bill found a position in book publishing in Chicago that paid enough to support the family. This allowed Polia to explore painting in watercolor and oil full-time. Her one-woman exhibition at the Chicago Art Institute drew favorable notices and the attention of the Sun-Times. During the show, Polia became fascinated by the Institute’s pottery display, and, in 1946, she took a six-week course in ceramics at Chicago’s Hull House. She fired pieces in the kilns there until the facility was repurposed for the rehabilitation of returning WWII veterans. Polia then moved her fledgling business to the Pillin apartment, with a wheel and an improvised kiln in the kitchen. During these studio-in-the-kitchen years, she taught Bill how to make pots. Polia never stopped throwing pots herself and always did all of the painting.

Polia's decoration technique involved adding oxides to slip (watery clay) in various intensities and combinations to develop a palette of extraordinary range. With these slurries, she painted her ethereal images of women, cats, horses, and birds on greenware (unfired) pots. Chagall-like in color, her women dance, play instruments, ponder, and ride. Interestingly there are no children, houses, meals, or other signs of ordinary domesticity. Polia double-fired her decorated pots using a transparent glaze to produce a high-gloss finish. The Byzantine flavor of Pillins’ work has often been noted.

The couple’s endeavors soon outgrew the space, and, in 1948, they moved to Los Angeles. They purchased a modest home with a garage where the Pillin Art Pottery Company was born. At some point in the ’60s, they experimented with using molds to keep up with demand—they were selling pieces as fast as they could make them—but even then, both Polia and Bill continued to throw pots. More than 95% of their work is highly crazed. This should not surprise, as the small studio did not have a team of chemists or the special equipment available to large commercial operations.

Although the vast majority of the Pillin Art Pottery was produced in California, there are early examples from the Chicago kitchen studio. These rare pieces will usually be marked with a “46“ or “47“ for the year. Some works can be found with an inscribed “W + P” above the Pillin signature. This was an early indication that Bill had thrown the piece and Polia had decorated it, a practice that later became commonplace. Practically all Pillin Art Pottery is marked with a stylized “Pillin” signature in black. There was some amount of variation and evolution in the signature; close inspection can sometimes help to date pieces. Earlier pieces tend to be thicker in construction. Nearly all Pillin pottery is made from a distinctive red brick-colored clay.

Polia made her last known piece in 1991, a year before her death. No production records were ever kept, and most pieces were unique, so no catalog of her work would ever be complete. The total output of pottery from Polia is hard even to estimate.

Pottery from Polia Pillin is held in the collections of the Dallas Museum of Fine Art and the Syracuse Museum of Fine Art. Pillin pieces remain highly collectible with prices starting in the high hundreds and many in the thousands.


. . .Humble clay becomes a medium for painting. The limit of which is defined only by the zeal and inspiration of the artist. – POLIA PILLIN


“TO A CUSTOMER” by William Pillin

If you dislike our pot, mister,
Go buy from another.

But don't stand there with a turned-up nose,
you bastard!

I labored in shaping the slender amphora
and Polia designed a small alleluia on it.

Go now.
Your shadow lingers over the highlights.


DETAILS

Designer – POLIA PILLIN

Design Period/Year – 1960s

Maker – PILLIN ART POTTERY

Production Period/Year – 1960s

Origin – USA

Styles/Movements – ABSTRACT; MID-CENTURY MODERN

Materials – CERAMIC

Colors – BURNT ORANGE, ORANGE

Condition – Excellent vintage condition. May show minor signs of previous ownership and use.

Dimensions – 7 ½" DIAM. × 6 ⅛" H

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SKU: 85400290386

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4.9 ★★★★★
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Product Reviews
J
Verified Purchase
Joe
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Great chair - great customer service from seller
Color: Matte-black
Good chair for home office. Easy to assemble and comfortable to use. I was concerned when it arrived as the bottom of the box had gotten wet and damaged during shipment. But the only issue was the frame for the footrest had rusted in a couple places. I contacted the company, sent pictures and in a couple of days they shipped back the complete footrest already assembled. Great customer service and so far a great chair.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2026
A
Verified Purchase
AJ
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Very Impressed
First off, I just want to say that this is a very good company. They have the best customer service that I have seen with any online company that I have ever dealt with. Other companies should take notes on how they should handle problems from this company. Now On to my review of this chair. I purchased the chair almost 5 months ago now and was pretty hyped about getting it. It is not very easy to find a chair for a larger person. I weigh 299 pounds and needed something that would support that. Some of the other office chairs I have had in the past said that they did support up to and over my weight and the gas cylinder would always give out. So far, I have not had any issues with it. Now I did have a few problems with the chair, and the company fixed the problem right away. The first was comfort. When I first got the chair, it was kind of stiff which is expected of a new chair. But the wings on the side of it would rub on my legs making it painful to sit in the chair for more than an hour. It seemed that the metal bars in it were too far pressed in. I contacted the company about it to see what they could do to fix the problem and they sent me out a cushion to help raise me above the cushion. That was good enough for me. Eventually I ended up not having to use the cushion. (I was working on losing weight.) They second problem happened with the wheel base. One of the supports that held the wheels in place had come apart. I contacted the company right away and sent them a picture of the problem and they sent me out a new base. Not the easiest to change out once you have set it in place. But after watching videos on YouTube I was able to get it replaced. Now 4 months later I did have another issue with the chair which actually happened to me 1 week ago now from this date. My arm rests were moving around a lot and I didn't understand why. So, I flipped the chair over to check and see if the screws had come loose. They were not loose at all. I then went ahead and took the arm rests off and as soon as I did I noticed a metal bar had fallen. I removed the felt that was hiding it and seen that the welds that held the bar in place had failed. I am not going to lie I was pretty bummed about it. I contacted the company and explained to them what happened, I sent in pictures to show the problem. They got back to me within hours of my complaint and sent me out another seat to replace the old one. I just got it 2 days ago and put it on and all is good again. Now one thing I noticed about the new chair seat is that the metal bars are not sticking in my side. Either I have lost weight (I have.) or they have fixed that problem. Either way I am completely happy. Now I am sure that there are other chairs out there that are a bit better in comfort but they also cost a lot more. This is a very nice chair for anyone looking to get a gaming office chair and not break the bank in the process. Just a few pros and cons about the chair. Pros: 1. Great Customer Service from the company. They actually uphold a warranty. 2. Affordable price for a gaming office chair. 3. The recline feature comes in handy and is really nice. Cons: 1. The arm rests should be a bit higher or be able to extend higher then what is allowed currently. 2. Not the most comfortable chair if you sit in it for extended times. More cushion could help this problem. Overall, I am really happy with my purchase and would recommend and use this company again in the future. I hope that someone finds this review helpful when going to purchase a affordable office chair.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2018
K
Verified Purchase
KC
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 5
A no-brainer.
Color: Earth-black
Impressed! The shipping took less than 3 days when it showed 7-8 days. Cool. The box showed up at my door. It's pretty big & quite heavy, prolly not for grannies to pull inside (which usually means at least decent quality, right? ~80-ish lbs, maybe?). Opened the box & it looks more complicated than it is. Parts. And parts. And more parts. But VERY straightforward & simple, even for those less mechanically inclined (not me, thank gawd). I read the 1st panel on the instructions, & it made perfect sense, so I traded out their supplied tool for one on my drill. Zip. Zip. Zip. It's all put together & sitting in it in 42 minutes. Comfortable. Relaxing. Sturdy. Pretty high of a lift. Tall back. Make sure you have enough room for this, it's substantial. I have a feeling I'll be spending some nights zonked out in this. Hope it lasts. Whoever designed this made it super easy. Even a caveman could do it! Thank you, China! (I waited 'til it was on sale for abt $160-ish. Yes, even w/ these ~eyeroll~ tariffs.). Worth it.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2026
Y
Verified Purchase
ye huaxiang
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Perfect Study Chair for Kids – Comfortable, Soft and My Child Loves It!
Color: Pink, Color: Pink
I bought this pink chair for my child to use while studying, and it has been a great purchase. The chair is very comfortable and soft, with a thick cushion and supportive backrest, so my child can sit for a long time while doing homework without feeling tired. The ergonomic design is really nice as well. The backrest supports the back very well and helps keep a more natural sitting posture. The armrests are also at a comfortable height, which makes writing and drawing easier. Most importantly, my child absolutely loves this chair. She enjoys sitting here to study, read, and draw. Sometimes she spends quite a while drawing in the chair and seems very comfortable the whole time. The pink color is beautiful and looks very cute in the room. The quality feels good and the wheels roll smoothly, making it easy to move around. Overall, this is a great chair for kids to study, read, or do art, and seeing how much my child enjoys using it makes me very happy with this purchase. Highly recommended!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2026
A
Verified Purchase
Aurihazuma
Boise, US
★★★★★ 3
Not the best chair... Had to buy several accessories
Color: Earth-black, Color: Earth-black
I have so much to say that I had to compose in word… The chair was very easy to assemble and came packed with pride and care in a very nice box, but I find the design to be remarkably lacking, and the below stated demonstrates this QED. The suggestion to use the packing box as an assembly table is a nice idea, but the box is too wide by several inches to use in order to attach both arms. The sales ad stated 23.4” is the total width of the cushion, not the average sittable area. The lumbar support is laughable, and really ought to have been made inflatable if they were going to go with this route... I had to go back to my special support cushion. So do not depend on it supporting you if you have a bad back like I do. Secondly… My African-American friends have often said to me something like "Get your narrow little butt over here" because I have almost "No Butt!" - HAH!.. This chair cushion is NOT MADE FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME with no butt... you will need a support cushion; either a memory foam or inflatable. The seat is poorly cushioned with a thin layer set of polyester fiber file on top of rather hard, and possibly memory foam, and is as hard as a stone. (I have decided to get an inflatable cushion for now and my go memory foam, and currently sit on top of my soft memory foam backrest... I have had to spend almost half of the price of the chair to handle upgrades.) To top it all off it also leans forward a bit instead of being properly flat or at least adjustable, and there is no tilt for that or elsewise another kind of adjustment. I feel like I am constantly sliding off of the chair and will have to add shims to the mechanism in order to correct the forward leaning tilt that is bothering me even now as I sit upon my currently only office chair. I cannot sit in this thing without both the foot rest, and my foot stool, and I am still rolling down Lombard Street (Looks that one up folks. It’s in San Francisco). (My last one was so worn out that I had no choice.) The lean (not genuine tilt) of the back is marginally passable, but a mere 150 degrees is not built for relaxing. I am also having to get an even more deeply counter-sunk gas cylinder because this one is too freaking high. Don't listen to those who say the chair is also good for short people. I am 5' 6.5" in height. This already makes it almost impossible to find any furniture to fit me because the majority of people in America seem to be geared for 6' heights. The arms are kind of nice, but the over-all vinyl covering is rather thin. It will not stand up to cats... There is also 35% less space from my last chair for my cat to sit with me without knocking the keyboard off of my lap. I will be purchasing some leather and making an overlay for the armrests as soon as possible. It is... nice to be able to raise and lower the armrests. The casters they give are rather - extremely cheap. I knew this already and had procured some proper roller blade style casters with brakes so they will actually last, and I could lock the movement of the chair, and so they also do not get balled up with fuzz like the ones they sent will. Furthermore... This chair might barely fit a plus sized person, but it is not suitable for large people even with the arms mounted at the widest. I can take my medium-sized hands held flat with pinkies on the arm rests and thumbs on my person and put them down beside my hips and snugly touch the inside of the arm rests and my personage, on either side. Please keep in mind that I am not a large person. I could not find a proper foot rest on any chair out there without adding substantially more to the cost, and also making the chair non-movable, so there went that --and I must make sure to have parts for these current "Walmart style" designs. While not a totally horrid chair, it leaves a lot to be desired and I'm stuck with it now. I give the chair a three-star rating, and hope I can stand to use it once I get the last of the accessories that now total almost half the price of the chair… Namaste.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026

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