Tableau, Municipal Coat of Arms (tableau met gemeentewapens)

About this artwork.

The text on this tableau reads: “This stone was laid in recognition of the unified cooperation of the municipalities to realise the 1950-plan for the creation of 1000 dwellings.” The tableau shows the coats of arms of all the municipalities in Groningen who participated in this plan. In the centre, the municipality (formerly Hoogkerk) in which the tableau is located, has grown and this is represented in the coat of arms, which consists of two curly lilies and a bell.

In the post-war period, ceramicist Anno Smith created hundreds of porch and facade pieces for the city of Groningen, intended for residential complexes, schools, shops and factories, among other things – it’s not for nothing that Smith is known as the “greatest decorator”. 

Smith mainly depicted everyday objects and scenes: fish, flowers, playing children and working craftspeople. By decorating the severe, strict and uniform architecture that is so typical of the post-war period with individually designed pieces, each building was afforded an identity of its own; an identity that also immediately marks these pieces as Smith’s. His clients also wanted cheerful performances that had to be understandable for the residents.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Anno Smith

• District
  Hoogkerk

• Year of creation
  1950

• Art type
  Art in / on a building, Tableau

• Material
  Glazed terracotta

• Dimensions
  h 0,66 x b 0,68 m