The Californian funk movement in clay was led by the master ironist Robert Arneson, who had many adherents. Some indulged in crass slapstick, but a few had a much finer touch, in tune with the Pop Art currents then swinging from coast to coast. One of these exponents of the style was Danish-born Erik Gronborg, who actually developed his style outside of Arneson’s direct influence, first studying with Peter Voulkos and then moving down to San Diego, the other end of the state from the funk epicenter of the Bay Area. This vibrantly glazed plate shows his penchant for hermetic symbolism and artificial, almost technicolor effects.