Polia Pillin, née Sunockin, was born on September 1, 1909, in Częstochowa. She came to Chicago from Poland in 1924 to work an industrial job that allowed her to support her family overseas. She began to take art classes at the Jewish People's art institute in the evenings and dreamed of supporting herself as an artist. In 1938, she married William Pillin, who had fled persecution in Ukraine with his family and settled in Chicago and they lived in New Mexico. After the birth of their first child, they returned to Chicago, where she had her first show of paintings at the Chicago Art Institute. She became fascinated with clay and in 1946 she took a six-week course in pottery which was her only formal training. She set up a studio in her kitchen, complete with a wheel and electric kiln and soon her innovative works were in high demand. By the 1960s, the Pillins, now collaborating on throwing pots and developing glazes, were selling pottery faster than they could produce it. Polia Pillin's pieces are instantly recognizable. Her technique involves painting on pieces with colored clays while they were still wet and then double-firing using a transparent glaze which produced a high gloss finish. Her pieces, both paintings and pots, feature whimsical figures of people and animals. Her style was informed both by her Eastern European heritage and by her surroundings in New Mexico. She has won numerous awards from Los Angeles County Art Institute in 1949, Syracuse Museum of Fine Art in 1950 and California State Fair in 1951.
Polia Pillin California Studio Pottery Seated Girl with Bird Lidded Trinket Box
By Polia Pillin
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Large ceramic lidded trinket box in shades of blue with decoration of a seated woman and bird. Created by Polia Pillin of Los Angeles, California,...
Ceramic
MCM Lidded Green Marble Trinket Box with Brass Accents
Located in San Diego, CA
MCM lidded green marble trinket box with brass accents, circa 1970s. The box has well cut lines and features brass feet and a cool brass lizard hand...
Marble, Brass
Lidded Burl Wood Trinket Box by Kreiss
By Kreiss
Located in San Diego, CA
A very nice lidded burl wood trinket box by Kreiss, circa 1980s. The box has a removable lid and is in very good vintage condition; it measures 7"W ...
Burl
$128Sale Price|20% Off
H 2.5 in Dm 3.5 in
Round Primitive Ceramic Decorative Trinket Studio Pottery Dish with Lid in Brown
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A round studio pottery trinket dish in brown. This piece will be perfect for a nightstand, coffee table, or bar. It is round and glazed in a deep brown. The lid on the top features a...
Ceramic, Clay
$440Sale Price|20% Off
H 6.25 in W 4 in D 4 in
1950's Polia Pillin California Studio Art Pottery Ceramic Vase w/Woman & Horse
By Polia Pillin
Located in San Diego, CA
Wonderful Polia Pillin California art pottery vase dating from the 1950's. Features two hand painted images of a woman holding a bird and then a horse. Signed on the bottom. In very...
Ceramic, Pottery
Lidded Laquer Trinket Box by Lapisware
Located in San Diego, CA
Lidded lacquer trinket box by Lapisware, circa 1980s. The box measures 8.5"W x 4"D x 2"H and is in very good vintage condition. Cool and well constructed piece! #4988
Plastic, Wood
Vintage Bamboo-Style Metal Trinket Box with Hinged Lid
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Stylish vintage decorative box featuring a sculptural bamboo motif throughout, crafted in metal with a dark silver-tone finish. The exterior is designed to resemble stacked bamboo se...
Metal
Wedgwood Blue Jasperware Lidded Trinket Box with Neo Classical Relief
By Wedgwood
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A refined Wedgwood blue jasperware lidded box, featuring the iconic matte periwinkle-blue ground with crisp applied white classical reliefs, a hallmark of Wedgwood’s neoclassical pro...
Ceramic
Vintage Post-Modern Travertine Lidded Trinket Box
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage post-modern travertine lidded trinket box, circa 1980s. The box is in very good vintage condition with no chips or cracks and measures 4.75"W x ...
Travertine
Vintage Italian Owl Ceramic Lidded Trinket Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Whimsical and refined, this vintage Italian ceramic trinket box takes the form of a wide-eyed owl perched on a grassy mound, its lidded body finished in a lustrous glaze with soft to...
Ceramic
Vintage Pottery Trinket Box & Lid, Reptile Skin Glaze
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage American studio pottery box features rounded jar shaped body, mounted on 4 slightly curved feet, with flattened lid with round handle. The body and the lid are decorated with...
Ceramic, Pottery
Vintage Ceramic Trinket Box With Blue Enameled Lid
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This trinket box makes its strongest statement through its enameled lid, where a radiating, sunburst-like pattern of tapered rectangular segments spirals outward from a deep cobalt c...
Metal
Post-Modern Lidded Marble Trinket Box
Located in San Diego, CA
Post-modern lidded marble trinket box, circa 1980s. The box has well cut lines and is well constructed The piece is in very good condition and measures 5"W x 4"D x 2"H. Cool little ...
Marble, Brass