Born in Hungary, Eugene Deutch trained as a ceramist and spent time in France as a student of the modernist sculptor Constantin Brâncusi. After settling in Chicago in 1928, Deutch established himself as a studio potter and teacher. For this set of organically shaped pitchers, Deutch replaced applied handles, which he believed were prone to breaking, with pinched-in sides that serve as grasping points for the user. This innovation reflects Deutch’s concern for simplicity, functionality, and the interaction of form with everyday living, key principles of modernist design.