Dungeons And Dragons
What to do with a dragon teapot? Not a typical question you wake up one day thinking, but sometimes art makes us ask questions outside the norm. When you are a person attracted to quirk and creativity, a dragon teapot simply rolls on home with you from an estate sale, and you are left wondering just what, exactly, to do with it.
I found him (I think it’s a him?) at an estate sale in rural Barrington, in a very cool 1970s house. The home owner had been a professional potter, art teacher, and world traveler, and seemingly collected as much pottery as they made. There was a full pottery studio, a kiln room, and shelves and shelves of works in progress, many covered in dust. I purchased a few pieces of the owner’s work, but this rolling critter leapt out at me from a crowded display in the living room space. I was not at all sure what it was, and while it was marked on the bottom, it was hard to see, and remarkably fragile. It is entirely made out of ceramic, including functioning wheels, conveniently braced on one side to keep from rolling off a table and crashing to its doom. Objectively it is a tea pot, with the dragon’s mouth being the spout, the tail has a lid to pour in water, and the hands acting as handles (a literal hand!). He has scales down his legs, actual feathers embedded in the ceramic and the glazing is iridescent and stunning. I thought he was remarkable, and he came home with me.And discovered my children thought I was nuts. Ah well, not surprising. As far as I can tell, a rolling teapot shaped like a dragon is a much needed addition to every home.
The signature identified Don Montano as the artist. I could find no biographical info other than he had been based in Silver Spring, Maryland, chaired the Art Department at Montgomery College, and was well known in the 1970s. Montano's ceramic work was selected and featured in a 1977 Washington, D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities Exposition. This major exhibit took place at the Dupont Center of the Corcoran Gallery. His pieces from this era were also featured in prestigious showcase exhibitions, including a prominent display at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery. The Washington Post article about Fine Arts Pavilion at Montgomery College (3/31/1979) discussed “24 well-known local craftsmen” and mentioned “a teapot, or rather a tea-breathing, feathered dragon on wheels is by Don Montano”.
While my kids thought he was creepy (well yeah, duh), one mentioned he would fit right in a Dungeons & Dragons game, something they enjoy playing. I am familiar with the game, though I have never played it. I remember teens running around a large estate park in New Canaan, CT in 1982 playing it while a group of us were setting up our prom event. The game was mainly played outdoors then, as an actual active role playing game. Now a days it is cerebral, played in groups with less ‘live action’ involved, and is considered a “tabletop role playing game”.
Being curious, I looked up the history of the game. Turns out it was created in Lake Geneva, WI, a town only an hour north of me! Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson created it in 1974 in the basement (dungeon) of the Gygax’s modest family home in downtown Lake Geneva. It is credited as being the first “roll playing” game, inspiring generations of video game creations, and has become an amazing culture that is actively played by over 50 MILLION players globally. Interestingly online assessments note that the players of D&D are evenly split between women and men – an unusual demographic in the gaming world.
There is a good deal of information online about the demographics, history and financial aspect of the D&D culture, but one line stood out for me: the game tends to “attract open-minded, non-judgmental people who enjoy cooperative storytelling” (https://www.google.com/search?D&D). I am still a bit vague as to what the ‘dragon’ of the Dungeons & Dragons game does, as there certainly are few “live action” dragons milling about these days. The google search descriptions note the dragon is “an iconic, powerful, and intelligent reptilian creature that features prominently in the game's lore and artwork.” If I had to guess, Gary and Dave, being teens at the time, just thought dragons were cool. Because, honestly, yes they are.
My dragon has found a perch on our bookcase, and he awaits fawning and appreciation of his coolness by all who come to visit. He also appreciates all those open-minded, non-judgmental people who are essentially cooperative. The world can use a lot more of them.