Mouth | Ceramic Bookend
Bookend Mouth is a ceramic sculptural bookend by Laoru Laoru, sculpted by Jacob Laoru in our Aarhus atelier and inspired by the sculptural art of ancient Greece and Rome.
The human mouth, scaled up and given enough weight and presence to anchor a row of books, while lending the shelf a quiet, classical character.
Each Bookend Mouth is cast from Jacob's original sculpture and finished by hand. Because every piece is individually glazed, no two are ever exactly alike, the Bookend Mouth you receive will share the character of the example shown but carry its own quiet variations within the glaze you choose.
Bookend Mouth works as a bookend on the shelf, as a standalone sculpture on a windowsill, desk, or mantel, or mounted on the wall. Pair it with a Bookend Eye for a sculptural conversation at both ends of the shelf.
Bookend Mouth is available in Crystal Green, Copper Green, and Antique White.
Glaze description
Glaze description
Antique White carries the quiet consistency of weathered plaster, soft and classical, with minimal variation.
Warm Sand has the gentle, lived-in tone of sun-warmed stone with subtle natural shifts.
Crystal Green is more playful, every firing bringing its own brown tinges and atmospheric depths.
Copper Green is the most alive of our glazes, its characteristic speckles falling differently on every piece, like patina forming on aged copper.
Each glaze has its own range of expression. Visit our glaze page where we show multiple examples of each colour.
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How it is made
How it is made
Every piece begins with Jacob sculpting the original form by hand. From this, he makes a slip cast mould that will preserve the originality of the work. Liquid clay is poured in, left to set, and carefully opened. The first impression is lifted out gently, its edges softened and shaped with a brush and water, often where the final expression of the piece is decided.
Our mark is pressed into the back, a small signature of the hands that made it. Then comes the waiting. Three to four days of quiet drying before the first firing at 920°C.
Glaze is applied by hand, and the piece returns to the kiln at 1250°C, where the heat and the glaze decide the final character of the surface. No two pieces will ever share the same result.
From pouring the mould to the finished piece, every piece takes around ten days to make. Everything is made by hand in our studio in Aarhus, Denmark.
Everything is made by hand in our studio in Aarhus, Denmark.
Material and care
Material and care
Material:
Glazed white stoneware clay
Care Instructions:
Wipe with a soft, dry cloth. For any dirt or residue, a damp cloth with a mild cleaning agent is sufficient.
Caution:
Ceramics are stone with glass on the surface, which means they can break and become very sharp if they do. Make sure to mount the piece out of reach of small curious fingers, and handle with care if a piece should break.
Specifications
Specifications
Size: 14 x 14 x 13 cm
Weight 1200 gr
To hang the piece, insert a screw or nail into the desired wall and let the piece rest on it. All our wall-mounted works are made with a small curved groove on the back that sits over the screw head, keeping the piece securely in place so it cannot slide off.
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Explore our glazes
Our four glazes, Antique White, Warm Sand, Crystal Green, and Copper Green, each have their own character and range of expression. Because every piece is individually glazed, no two are ever exactly alike, and the glaze pages show you the full variation of what comes out of the kiln.
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