ARTICLE - A WOMAN'S TOUCH
A remarkable individual, Marguerite Mahood’s experimental flair and energetic creativity helped to establish the professional reputation of ceramic artists working in Melbourne early last century. As potter, painter, printmaker, broadcaster, writer, illustrator, businesswoman and academic, her distinctive work and unstoppable commitment to the arts is once again gaining the recognition it deserves Born in 1901, Marguerite Mahood (nee Callaway) grew up in a well-to-do family in Richmond. From an early age she demonstrated an aptitude for art – she is said to have drawn a recognisable portrait of her mother at the age of four. On leaving Presbyterian Ladies’ College in 1915, Mahood began drawing classes with Frederick McCubbin at the National Gallery School. The strict academic training developed her natural talent, and she soon became a highly capable and inventive draughtswoman. During the 1920s Mahood established herself However, Mahood is best known as one of Melbourne’s most successful early studio potters. In 1931 she enrolled in the newly-formed pottery course at the Working Men’s College, but found the rudimentary training inadequate and soon left to teach herself from books held at the State Library of Victoria. Mahood’s personal involvement in the entire process, from digging the clay to stoking the kiln, distinguished her work. Over a twenty-five year period she produced highly decorated and vibrantly glazed earthenware ceramics, ranging from domestic wares to figurines and intricately formed filigree objects. One of the first to challenge the idea that pottery should necessarily be functional, Mahood produced decorative work that could be intricate, romantic, witty or mocking of human foibles, enjoying both regular sales and high public profile. Mahood was particularly noted for the wide range of colours that she carefully applied, although the most intricate ceramic pieces come from her double filigree work. These pieces, which she considered ‘the apex of her art’, exhibit her high degree of technical control. Mahood was particularly taken by Pre-Raphaelite medievalism and neo-Gothic imagery, and many of her pieces are decorated with fantastical creatures. Mahood’s delicate figurines appear in elegant, carefully researched historical costumes, or as fantasy figures of sensuous mermaids or enchanting sorceresses. During the 1940s Mahood began working in animal drawings, resulting in an illustrated children’s book, The Whispering Stone: An Australian Nature Fantasy 1944, dedicated to her son Martin. In 1952, Drawing Australian Animals was published. Mahood returned to study in the A particular feature of Mahood’s ceramics is her balancing of the compositions with a mathematical precision. We know that this could not have been accomplished with formal mathematical skills because of information from her family that numeracy was not her strong suit. Curriculum Vitae The following Curriculum Vitae was written by Dr. Mahood late in her life and has been abridged and adapted for this publication. It has not been previously published. Born Marguerite Henriette at Richmond, Melbourne, 29 July, 1901 to Henry Callaway chartered accountant and his wife Marguerite nee Deschamps.
This information appeared in Issue 33 of Antiques and Collectables for Pleasure & Profit.
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as a professional artist, producing
decorative drawings and watercolours, linocuts and oil paintings. Her early work shows influences and interests which remained with her throughout her life – the flowing lines and romantic aesthetic of the Art Nouveau,
Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts movements, and her ongoing fascination with history and fantasy. From her mid-teens she was a regular exhibitor with the Victorian Artist’s Society. She was also prolific in the production
of illustrations, cartoons and humorous stories for books, magazines and advertisements. In 1926 Mahood became one of the first women in Australia to broadcast her own radio program, presenting a weekly arts show with
topics ranging from art history to interior decoration.
late 1950s, matriculating before going to complete
her PhD – The Loaded Line: Australian Political Caricature 1788-1901 at the age of 69. Her thesis was published in 1973 and she continued to work in this field well into her eighties.
