A "Flower" Before Spring

We thought we'd give our readers some follow-up info and a better photo of the new Flower in the Crannied Wall sculpture we saw at the New York International Gift Show. Produced by Illinois based Haeger Potteries as part of their line of the official Frank Lloyd Wright Collection of licensed products, each piece is intricately molded, assembled and glazed by hand. The result is an amazing miniature reproduction of the famous 1907 sculpture, Flower in the Crannied Wall, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and executed by sculptor, Richard Bock for the Susan Lawrence-Dana House in Springfield, Illinois. The poem, Flower in the Crannied Wall, by Lord Alfred Tennyson is found inscribed on the back of both the original and the Haeger reproduction -- it's this poem that gives the sculpture its name.

Wright was so fond of this sculpture, that he had a copy (or perhaps the Bock original that the Dana version was cast off of) placed at Taliesin East in Wisconsin. The Taliesin version is still there, but in pretty sad shape and needs to be be saved. To this end, Haeger Potteries has generously offered to donate a portion of each sculpture sale toward the restoration of this Taliesin treasure. Look for your chance to own this wonderful piece of sculpture this Spring and help do your part to save an important piece of Wright decorative work!

Image copyright Haeger Potteries

Comments

[Regina Albanese]

The "Flower in the Crannied Wall" sculpture was by Richard Bock. It was not designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, but commissioned by him for the Dana House in Springfield, IL. The original sculpture was in clay. A mold was made and the Terra Cotta sculpture that stands in the entrance hall of the Dana House was cast using that mold. The plaster copy at Taliesin was cast using the same mold.

[PrairieMod]

While it's true that the piece was sculpted by Bock, Wright was the driving force behind its design.

in John Lloyd Wright's autobiography, he recounts his memory of Bock, teary-eyed as Frank Lloyd Wright had parts of the "Flower" statue resculpted in the upstairs area of Wright's Oak Park Studio.

Bock was a talented artist and gets the credit for masterfully executing the statue, but the design credit for the "Flower in the Crannied Wall" still goes to Wright--his commission and art direction means his credit.

[Regina Albanese]

The book that you refer to is John Lloyd Wright's, My Father Frank Lloyd Wright, Dover Books, pages 27 & 28. He refers to the teary eyed Bock as reworking the clay to suit Wright. In Bock's autobiography he recounts restarting and completing the sculpture while Wright was gone for two weeks. Unlike the sculptures for the Midway Gardens, Wright only had a vague idea of what he wanted for the Dana House, which is why this commission is noted as an excellent collaboration.

[PrairieMod]

Thanks for the additional info, Regina, it's a pleasure to have such knowledgeable readers.

We agree that Bock deserves much credit for his excellent work on this and the many other commissions he worked on. Thanks for the correction and filling in the rest of the story.