Isobel

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	Incised “Isobel Australia Hand Made”
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Hand thrown gloss glazed two-coloured glaze to half of body. Straight, angled sides to raised foot ring.  Squared tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior
Condition	Mostly very good.  Some small chips to base
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	108mm
Width at Base	73mm
Depth	53mm
Length (with handle)	130mm
Weight	180gm
Volume	250ml
Acquisition	Purchase Salvo Stores, Brandon Park 30th January 2015.
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 001-116

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	No marks on one but stamped “Isobel Australia” on others
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Hand thrown gloss glazed white coloured glaze to interior of body and foot ring, Harlequin pastels to exterior. Straight, angled sides to raised foot ring.  Pointed tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior
Condition	Mostly very good.  Some small chips to base
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	108mm
Width at Base	73mm
Depth	46mm
Length (with handle)	140mm
Weight	200gm
Volume	235ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 017-020

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	Incised “Isobel” to base
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Hand thrown gloss glazed harlequin coloured glaze to interior and exterior of body with unglazed foot ring, Harlequin pastels to exterior. Curved, angled sides to raised foot ring.  Pointed tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior
Condition	Mostly very good.  Some small chips to base and rim
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	55mm
Width at Base	47mm
Depth	46mm
Length (with handle)	125mm
Weight	100gm
Volume	180ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 021-025

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	Painted “Isobel Aust”in black to base
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Mould formed matte glazed brown overglaze to interior and exterior of body, Harlequin pastels to exterior. Large curved, sides to raised foot ring.  Pointed tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior.
Condition	Mostly very good.  Some small bubbles in glaze to base.  Run in glaze to each side.
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	125mm
Width at Base	52mm
Depth	53mm
Length (with handle)	169mm
Weight	330gm
Volume	480ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 026

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	Painted “Isobel Aust”in black to base
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Mould formed matte glazed brown overglaze to interior and exterior of body, Harlequin pastels to exterior. Large curved, sides to raised foot ring.  Pointed tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior.  Stencilled leaf pattern in pale brown to bottom of bowl interior
Condition	Mostly very good.  Spur marks to base.
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	125mm
Width at Base	52mm
Depth	40mm
Length (with handle)	169mm
Weight	245gm
Volume	300ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 027-129

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	Painted “Isobel Aust”in black to base
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Mould formed matte glazed brown overglaze to interior and exterior of body, Harlequin pastels to exterior. Large curved, sides to raised foot ring.  Pointed tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior.  Stencilled leaf pattern in pale blue to bottom of bowl interior
Condition	Mostly very good.  Spur marks to base.
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	125mm
Width at Base	52mm
Depth	40mm
Length (with handle)	169mm
Weight	245gm
Volume	300ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 030-034

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	incised “Isobel Aust” to base
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Mould formed matte glazed black overglaze to interior and exterior of body. Large curved, sides to raised foot ring.  Pointed tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior.  Stencilled leaf pattern in pale blue to bottom of bowl interior
Condition	Very good.
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	125mm
Width at Base	52mm
Depth	40mm
Length (with handle)	169mm
Weight	245gm
Volume	300ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 031-032

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	Painted “Isobel Aust” in black to base
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Mould formed white gloss glazed green overglaze to rim and top two thirds of exterior of body. Large curved, sides to raised foot ring.  Pointed tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior.  Painted mushrooms in green and brown  to bottom of bowl interior
Condition	Very good.
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	125mm
Width at Base	52mm
Depth	40mm
Length (with handle)	169mm
Weight	245gm
Volume	300ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 033

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	Painted “Isobel Aust” in black to base
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Mould formed white gloss glazed brown swirled overglaze to rim and exterior of body. Harlequin interior.  Large curved, sides to raised foot ring.  Pointed tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior.
Condition	Very good.
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	115mm
Width at Base	67mm
Depth	48mm
Length (with handle)	160mm
Weight	225gm
Volume	325ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 034-036

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	Incised “Isobel Aust” to base
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Mould formed pale green gloss exterior.  Interior pink with floral pattern hand painted by Helen Ilich. Harlequin interior.  Curved, sides to raised foot ring.  Long pointedknife shaped handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior.
Condition	Very good.
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	120mm
Width at Base	60mm
Depth	42mm
Length (with handle)	177mm
Weight	230gm
Volume	270ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 037-039

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	Incised “Isobel” to base
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Mould formed pale pink gloss exterior.  Interior blue.  Curved, sides to raised foot ring.  Pointed tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior.
Condition	Very good.
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	118mm
Width at Base	60mm
Depth	50mm
Length (with handle)	158mm
Weight	215gm
Volume	320ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 040

Designer	Isobel
Maker	Isobel
Marks	Painted “Isobel Australia by Helen” to base
Material	Glazed slip
Description	Mould formed cream gloss exterior with green edging on rim and handle.  Interior cream with painted pea pod design by Helen Ilich.  Straight, sides angled down to raised unglazed foot ring.  Squared tab handle with dimpled top attached to upper third of exterior.
Condition	Very good.
Number	No number
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	118mm
Width at Base	80mm
Depth	46mm
Length (with handle)	134mm
Weight	220gm
Volume	250ml
Acquisition	Purchase
Rameking Reference Number	ISO 041

Isobel produced around a dozen different ramekins over the relatively short life of the pottery.  There were only a few different shapes but each was decorated differently.  There appears to have only been two different handle shapes, either a pointed tab or squared tab handle, no matter the size or shape of the bowl.

Standard reference on pottery marks (Ford) refers to Hilda Ilich as being Isobel. I think he may be incorrect on this one. Helen Ilich, Painter and Ceramic Artist was born in Croatia in 1914, migrated to Australia 1950 is considered by many to be Isobel but I think they are wrong on this.  Isobel  probably refers to Isobel Joy Fraser who ran the show but I have no confirmation or information on this.  I got that information second-hand and cannot find any reference to any such person.  I believe that both Helen and Isobel may have worked together at Boyds.   These ramekins were made by  "Isobel Art Pottery" on the Maroondah Highway in Croydon, Victoria, now an outer suburb of Melbourne.  Little information is available on her or her work other than her working with Guy Boyd in Bentleigh before moving to Croydon where she worked in her normally one-person operation in a shed at the back of a shop.

Many of her ramekins are incised "Isobel" to the base or stamped.  The shape and style are like those of Guy Boyd and Ray Cook, perhaps an early work copying their Bentleigh studio.  Copyright was a little more flexible in those days.  Described as "Hand Made", some of her ramekins were thrown with the chocolate brown colour mixed into the clay and a light glaze applied to the interior.  Some ramekins are not stamped, or maybe it wore off from use.

Helen Ilich, Painter and Ceramic Artist was born in Croatia in 1914, migrated to Australia 1950. She worked at Ellis' in 1955, then Guy Boyd’s pottery, Crosbie Road, East Bentleigh. She left Boyds around 1960 to work at Isobel. She stopped at Isobel after 2 years to return to Ellis.  Helen then taught painting to women from a studio in her home. She continued painting into the mid 1990s and died in 2002.  She started by underglaze painting some of her work with her name "H.Ilich", on some of  "Isobel"s output, this is where the confusion arises.  

Little information is available on her or her work other than her working with Guy Boyd in Bentleigh before moving to Croydon where she worked mainly as a one-person operation in a shed at the back of a shop. Any other information would be appreciated.

For those who may be interested, here is a more fulsome story of Helen;

Jellina (Helen) Ilic (nee Popovic) (1914-2001) was a Serbian, born in the town of Osijec, Yugoslavia (now Croatia) on 19 February 1914. She was taught art by a Russian immigrant who lived in the area and hoped to attend art school in Vienna.

However her father resisted the idea and instead encouraged her to marry, which she did in 1934, marrying Bozidar Ilic (born in 1908), a Serbian from a poor family. He had hoped to study, but instead joined the army. Helen continued to paint at home until the birth of her son Vojislau in 1937. She also had a daughter, Nina, who was born in 1934.

During World War Two Bozidar was captured by invading Italians and held captive for several years. Upon his release he walked to Switzerland and enrolled in an architecture course for six years. During this time Helen worked as a high school art teacher in Yugoslavia.

In 1950 Bozidar immigrated to Melbourne and was initially employed dredging the docks. However around 1953 he gained employment as an architect with the Public Works department. The same year he arranged for his family to migrate to Australia with the assistance of the Red Cross. Helen and the children travelled on the SS Oceania (via Trieste - Genoa - Naples – Messira - Suez - Port Said - Aiden - Colombo – Fremantle) in the lower berths, which let in water when the seas were rough. Despite this discomfort Nina recalls enjoying the journey. Helen brought three to four crates with her, one of which held selected special paintings - a portrait of her grandmother, a landscape and a still life.

When his family arrived Bozidar bought a house at 75 Highett Street in Richmond - he had previously been living in Spring Street - and the family were sent out to work.  From Highett Street, Bodizar could walk to work.  Helen worked as a Kindergarten Assistant, she is listed on the Electoral Roll as a Teacher.  Nina worked with a dressmaker and Vojislau worked on building sites. Nina and Vojislau did eventually attend school, MacRobertson and RMIT respectively.  Vojislau becoming an Engineer,

Around 1955, Helen joined the Ellis ceramic studio in Fitzroy, which had been established by two Czechoslovakian immigrants, Dagmar and Miloslav Kratochvil, in the mid 1950s. Helen did decorative features on pots and vases (etching) before firing. This was paid piece work rates and she left the studio due to the dusty conditions.

She then joined Guy Boyd’s studio in East Bentleigh in 1956 or 1957 and was employed doing decorative paintings on the ceramics, according to Boyd’s directions. Boyd also encouraged Helen to do souvenir brooches, which she particularly enjoyed. Guy Boyd Pottery produced a wide range of modernist objects from house-wares to decorative pieces, featuring iconic Australian imagery, particularly flora and indigenous motifs.

Helen remained at Boyd's for two to three years, but left at the request of her husband. She then went to work with Isobel, who had worked with her at Boyd's, but had left to start her own studio in a backyard shed in Oakleigh. The conditions were basic and the travel times long.  Helen worked with Isobel for about two years and also worked part-time at Ellis, as they had requested her return.

In 1959 Helen and her family moved from Richmond to 36 The Righi, Ivanhoe, where she set up a studio in her home, teaching women oil painting, Bozidar was still working for the Public Service.  In the late 1960s she joined the Heidelberg District Artists' Society and exhibited in Heidelberg, in Fitzroy during Moomba and at the Camberwell Town Hall. She sold a small amount of work and continued teaching throughout the 1960s, but eventually stopped due to her husband's complaints about the smell, but recommenced after his death in 1992. She continued painting until about six years before her own death on 18 February 2002.

Helen generally painted in oils on board and canvas as she found water colours difficult. Her style was naturalistic and landscapes were her favourite subjects, although without a car she struggled to undertake “en plein air” paintings. The inspiration for her landscapes largely came from a folio she created of magazine clippings, catalogues and friends' photos of the Australian Outback and other locations, as the furthest she traveled after her arrival in Melbourne was to Magnetic Island, off the coast at Townsville, Queensland.   Because of her increasingly limited mobility, she did do still life work and some portraits, as she found the subjects more manageable.

Helen admired Australian artists such as Hans Heysen, Russell Drysdale, Arthur Streeton, Fredrick McCubbin, and also appreciated Aboriginal art. She loved Australia and its landscape particularly, wattles, evergreen trees, gum trees with their stripping bark, sheep and horses (she rode as a child), the sky, the climate and the light. Despite facing difficulties in her struggle to become an artist, including family opposition and domestic isolation, Helen persevered through the imagery provided by friend's travel photos, clippings from magazines and calendars and her own immediate environment.

Some of these ramekins show examples of her work, there are sprigs of wattle and other Australian wild flowers painted inside the bowls, as well as one with mushrooms and another with just a couple of leaves.