Let's end our Saint Patrick's Day "Parade of Green" with this handsome participant: an English Arts & Crafts vase by Pilkington Royal Lancastrian. The voluptuous and bulbous body is surrounded with a line of prehistoric "fiddlesticks," like the unfurled curls atop an emerging fern. The use of naturalistic, Darwinian—sometimes even grotesque—botanical elements is classic Art Nouveau.
Equal to the superb form is the sensational finish. The glazing is a dappled blend of green and blue—rich and deep. The complex glaze only adds greater intensity to an already highly-dimensional form.
Sgrafitto is the Italian word for the technique of artistic scratching (from the verb graffiare—"to scratch"). This method may be used on plaster, on painted works, or (like with the vase shown above) on ceramics. After the ceramic piece is fired once—and a "bisque" form is obtained—it is glazed and allowed to air dry. Once dried, selected areas are scratched-away with a stylus, revealing the raw clay, beneath. When the glaze is fired a second time, the color—and the scratched-away design—become permanent.
The sgrafitto technique was popularized in Renaissance Italy, especially on the ceramic (tiled) surfaces of grand buildings. The technique later became popular in Persian ceramic craft.
Earlier this week, I expressed my love for matte green Arts & Crafts pottery. I find the shade so relaxing and natural—reminiscent of tree leaves upon oaken furniture branches. Matte green hues extend the full range from the pale to the ultra-saturated. The matte green of the Weller Arts & Crafts vase, shown above, hits the color range dead center. And it is possibly the finest piece of matte green pottery I have ever collected. This vase was part of their "Bedford" line from the early Twentieth Century. The tall, cylindrical form is buttressed and footed—and robed in a luscious matte green glaze. One can see the incised floral decoration, underglaze, near the top of the vase.
We welcome, March. And we welcome your flower, the Daffodil—surely a most-welcome sign of a pending Spring! Daffodils are part of the Narcissus genus which are members of the Amaryllis family. They first grew some 33 million years ago, on the Iberian peninsula, from which they spread throughout Southwestern Europe and into North Africa. They became very popular in Europe in the 1500's and were extensively developed in the Netherlands shortly thereafter. Thousands of "cultivars" were developed through selective breeding. Long known to be poisonous (thus, deer won't eat them), they have been used medicinally since ancient times. Today, they are being studied as a possible treatment for Alzheimer's Dementia. But please be careful; their chemical components can have dangerous...
This year marks the 30th anniversary year of LEO Design. And—in all that time—we have never participated in an antiques show. I guess that I have always rationalized that, since I pay so much rent (and I lived in a city of 8.5 million people), why should I schlepp heavy and delicate merchandise miles away to set-up a folding table in a booth? What could I achieve in a weekend in a booth that I couldn't achieve over a weekend in my Greenwich Village shop? Finally, a change! Today—in our Thirtieth Anniversary Year—I will exhibit in my first antique show ever! Deciding what to bring was the first big task. Then, packing it—smartly and compactly—came next. I intended to only...
Tomorrow is "the big day"—St. Valentine's Day. We're sharing some of our favorite "reds" this week. Perhaps one of them will make the perfect Valentine's Day gift for a much-deserving sweetheart? Wars have a way of defining and separating the aesthetic movements which flourished before and after the conflicts. After World War Two, the world was ready to move-on from the Art Deco which had characterized the period between the wars. Mid-Century Modernism would become the fresh, new look—a signal that the world was moving-on, into the future. Wars also have an impact on people, institutions and companies. What worked before (or during) a war, may not succeed once the conflict has concluded. Italica Ars was formed in 1948—just after...
When it comes to pottery, which factor is more important: form or glaze? In truth, both are consequential. But, if I were forced to choose only one of them, I would have to say that the glazing is most important. Form can be easily copied. A ceramicist can easily make a mould based upon the shape of another artist's finished piece. In fact, pottery factories would sometimes sell their discontinued moulds to competitors. Glazes, however, are much more difficult to decipher and control. A small variation in glaze ingredients, their application, kiln temperature, firing time, or cooling process can result in significant differences in outcome. And the process of figuring-out (and then duplicating) a new glaze is filled with numerous...
With St. Valentine's Day on the horizon, let's look at some of LEO Design's suitably-red offerings for the February holiday.
Shown above, a handsome West German Modernist jug-form vase by Töpferei Hartwig Heyne. The firm was founded in 1850, during the Prussian Empire, in Silesia—along the Polish border. After World War Two, much of Silesia was transferred to Poland under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement. At this point, Hartwig Heyne's descendants—Christine Heyne and her aunt, Meta—re-started the company as a smaller, studio pottery workshop in Oer-Erkenschwick, Western Germany. This move coincided with the emergent Modernist aesthetic, soon to become the most important interior design trend in the post-war West.
In 1901, Grand Duke Friedrich II of Baden established a ceramics workshop in Karlsruhe—in the Southwest of Germany, along the French border. His aim was to promote craft and industry in the region. Over the years, the Majolika Manufaktur Karlsruhe produced quality works which represented the changing fashions of design: from the Art Nouveau, through Art Deco, to Bauhaus and Mid-Century Modern. One of their star designers was Friedegart Glatzle. She was born in 1920. After high school and technical (trade) school for ceramics, she was snapped-up by Karlsruhe upon graduation in 1951. Over a thirty year career with the company, she produced over 1200 moulds for Karlsruhe and was the leading design voice for the company. She also oversaw...
The color Petroleum Blue is a rather hard to pin-down precisely. An internet search suggests an overly broad range of bluish-greens. Furthermore, the name elicits a negative response in some—such are the environmental consequences of petroleum (especially when it has been spilled). But the color—which the Brits call Petrol Blue—is handsome, indeed. And the color did enjoy the embrace of shelter magazine hipsters five or six years ago. Broadly defined, petroleum blue is a blue-green with an emphasis on the blue. Perhaps the name poetically implies the elusive nature of the color—reminiscent of the unstable iridescence seen when petrol is spilled upon a floor or into a puddle of water. In any case, petroleum blue is a justifiably sophisticated and...
This week we've been sharing some of our handsome blue pieces—an attempt to brighten the national "blue mood" as a bitter frost assaults our country. Let's hope for a change in the weather.
The simplicity of the English Arts & Crafts vase, shown above, belies the technical and aesthetic beauty of the piece. The voluptuous shape seems to curve sensuously in all the right places. And the softly-dappled cobalt glazing is simultaneously simple and complex, at once soft and bold. The form and the glazing are satisfyingly executed—whether the vase is displayed alone or within a larger group of ceramics.
When it comes to wintery glazing effects, this French Art Nouveau vase is really the icing on the roof. It was made by la Faiencerie Héraldique Artistique de Pierrefonds in the Teens or Twenties. The workshop was founded by the Comte d'Arros, Olivier de Sorra—a painter who wanted to produce ceramic wares in the village of Pierrefonds (about 50 miles northeast of Paris). After a slow start—producing "heraldic stoneware" with noble French crests—he landed upon the Art Nouveau stoneware with exceptional glazes for which he would forever be remembered.
The form is a simple, classically-inspired pot—with two little bumps, suggesting "handles" upon the rounded shoulder. A snowy-grey underglaze allows the organic, dripping overglaze to really pop.
An ill wind sweeps across America. I've been shivering for days. Others have been burning-up. How do we survive such a national calamity? There is no easy answer to such a question. For me, one thing is true: I'm praying for a change in the weather. True, the times are blue. Yet, blue can be so beautiful. Over the next few days, we will be sharing part of our "Collection of Blue"—currently in-stock at the LEO Design on-line shop. Let's make the best of the melancholy. Shown above, a West German Modernist vase, made in the Sixties or Seventies. It is squat in form, with a "volcano-form" neck rising from its crisp shoulder. And it is glazed in a sublime...
The satin white finish on this Art Deco vase is wonderful to hold and behold. It was made by Abingdon Pottery in Knoxville, Illinois, in the Thirties of Forties. Like yesterday's featured Horsehead Bookends, this Abindgon vase was made of uber-durable vitreous china, is finely hand-finished, and has a creamy-smooth satin white glaze. (Please see yesterday's Journal entry for more about the Abingdon Pottery Company.)
The silhouette of the vase is of classic, Chnese high-shouldered form. A series of ribs encircle the base and simple, Greek Key fretwork circumscribes the neck. It is a handsome piece—whether standing alone or arranged within a grouping—and very useful for flowers (the constricted neck holds-together a small handful of flower stems).
Is anything ever really new? In the arts and aesthetics (at least), not as often as one may think. Artists, in all times, have taken inspiration from other artists (and artworks) which have come before. Take the Thirties vase, made by Roseville (Ohio), shown above. Its form—the body of the vessel—is a Classical Greek amphora shape, a silhouette used for thousands of years. Add to that the Art Nouveau "whiplash" handles—an aesthetic which was popular three or more decades before this vase was made. On top of this, we can perceive a Modernist Art Deco sensibility in the piece, despite the Ancient and the Art Nouveau elements. Somehow, all the old elements have been re-combined (by a talented artist) to...
Imagine scatterings of crystalline snow—granulated like sugar—blanketing patches of an otherworldly, volcanic-pumice mountainscape. That's what I see with this West German Modernist "genie pitcher" by Carstens. Full of texture and complexity—all within a tight palette of black and white (which creates grey). The Carstens family has a long history of ceramics-making, having operated workshops in Germany since the Nineteenth Century. Things really came to a boil during the early Twentieth Century, when Christian Carstens—along with his sons, Christian and Ernst—expanded the company broadly, buying smaller factories and setting-up new workshops. The company produced a wide range of porcelain, earthenwares and "sanitary ware" (that is, ceramic plumbing fixtures like water fountains, toilets and urinals) and was a top player in the...
Newly-fallen snow can look so pristine, so perfect. In fact, after a fresh snowfall, I often try to limit my footsteps to the same narrow path along the edge of my driveway—an attempt to maintain the largest possible blanket of snowy perfection. But such perfection is fleeting. (Perhaps a metaphor for life.) In time, the snow melts, wild animals scamper, and—sooner or later—I need to drive my car down the driveway. The brilliant white gradually becomes brown; the melting snow turns to slush and the earth below begins to dapple the winter white. What was once a lovely improvement has become a messy blight. (Perhaps a metaphor for life.) But that, too, shall pass: with the rising temperature, the slush...
While we're blanketed by snow, let us feature a few handsome pieces which channel the Winter's temperament.
Shown here, a West German Modernist vase by Ceramano (located in Ransbach-Baumbach, Germany, about 55 miles Northwest of Frankfurt). The workshop was founded in 1954 by Jakob Schwaderlapp, the same man who previously had established Jasba (in 1926). Jasba had always been a mass production-oriented operation, utilizing less artisan handwork (per piece) and generating a high volume of affordable output. After World War II, with the boom of post war Modernism, Schwaderlapp launched a new workshop in order to bridge the gap between expensive, high-touch studio production and the less expensive (but commonplace) mass production. Ceramano was the result of this mission.
We finish our Winter Ablution with this forward-thinking creation. Even by today's standards—some ninety years after it was made—this piece still radiates Futurism. In the Thirties, space travel was still a dream. But all sorts of people—scientists, writers, artists—projected us into their imagined worlds of the extraterrestrial. Three decades later, in the Sixties, space travel finally was realized. Yet somehow, to me, those earlier, romantic notions of the future will always be a little more beautiful, dreamy and fantastical than the reality which followed. I suppose that artful conceptions are not limited by the realities of physics. And the Sixties Space Age was an exciting time. But I still prefer the Tomorrowland of the Utopian Future. The two-handled "flying...
Wishing all a Happy New Year of health, love and contentment. And a heartfelt Thank You to all who supported LEO Design in the previous year. Most years, I trot towards the New Year with optimism and gratitude—grateful for the fresh start, happy for a new beginning. Perhaps it's the turning of the Filofax, with its new pages so fresh and clean. Or could it be the cold, clear freeze—which has eliminated all traces of the previous season? No, not this year. Unlike in years past, I feel as though I'm being pushed unwillingly into this new year, forced into a new and dangerous era. But Time and Tide Wait for No Man. None of us can stop the clock. So here...
Guests for the Holidays? Help keep their toothbrushes tidy with this Victorian English ironstone toothbrush caddy, made in the 1880's. The maker was Edge, Malkin & Company in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England (the region of much Nineteenth-Century British ceramics production). The transfer pattern is called "Dacca," named after the Colonial Indian city (now Dhaka, Bangladesh). More broadly, the Dacca pattern satisfied the Western taste for Asian-inspired decor, especially in ceramics. The pattern fits squarely within the Aesthetic Movement of the Late Nineteenth Century. Ironstone is a type of pottery developed in England in the 1810's. It was a durable, hard-wearing, cheaper alternative to fine porcelain—suitable for mass production and ideal for decorating through transfer printing. Transfer printing, first developed in the...
West Virginia (and Ohio and Western Pennsylvania) was a center of American glass-making from the Nineteenth Century. Blenko Glass, founded in 1922, is still operating in Milton, West Virginia. William Blenko, an English immigrant to the United States, founded his first American glass company in 1893. His workshop created window panes by blowing cylinders of molten glass, cutting them open, and flattening them (in an oven). He made clear glass and colored glass (to be used in stained glass windows). His first company (and two more, after that) failed. His fourth company, Blenko (as we know it today), succeeded. During the Great Depression, when many building projects (the source of his revenue) were sidelined, Blenko broadened his product line to include decorative...
In the home furnishings industry—and in the decorative arts—the term "Transitional" is a convenient "safety word" to describe a piece which has the characteristics of two (or more) consecutive schools of design. It's often true that transitional pieces were created on the cusp of two significant, distinct movements. The vase above presents a good bit of Modernism (which was en vogue at the time it was made) and a little bit of Art Deco (from its recent past). To me, it is reminiscent of a softened version of Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York. Like the building, the vase's "stacked," graduated segments get larger toward the top of the vase. Wright's museum was finished in 1959, after 15 years...
Today we welcome November—and her birthstone, the Citrine.
The Citrine is a pale yellow variety of quartz. Its sunny color is thanks to the iron content within the chemical structure of the gemstone. And Citrine's sunniness was not lost on Greeks—who first used the stone around 300 BC—who believed that the gemstone could help alleviate depression. At the time, Citrine was very rare, thus expensive, opulent and luxurious. As larger deposits were later discovered and mined (notably in Brazil), the gemstone became more common and fell within reach of more and more admirers.
Tonight is All Hallows' Eve—more popularly called Hallowe'en—the first day of the Allhallowtide "triduum." Allhallowtide consists of three days: Hallowe'en, All Hallows' Day (also called All Saints' Day) and All Souls' Day. Essentially, Hallowe'en is the vigil, the night before the Holy Day of All Saints' Day (1 November). On All Saints' Day, all the saints are commemorated—both those whom we can name and those we do not know. 2 November is All Souls' Day—the day when all the faithful departed are commemorated. Since the early days of the Christian Church, various locales celebrated varying days for the commemoration of Christian martyrs. Later, this celebration was broadened to honor all the saints (martyred or not). In the Seventh Century, this celebration was expanded throughout...
Today is the First Day of Autumn. More specifically, it is the Autumnal Equinox. "Equinox" means "Equal Night." During an Equinox, the night and day are (roughly) of equal length. As we all know, the Earth rotates upon a central axis which tilts toward and away from the Sun (with the seasons). On the Equinox, the Earth's axis is perfectly aligned with the Sun—which places the Sun directly over the Equator. Today's Equinox (at precisely 8:43 am) marks the start of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, each day's length of sunlight has been getting shorter since the Summer Solstice of June 20th. Now, after the Autumnal Equinox, each day will...
"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon;
to me, those have always been the two
most beautiful words in the English language."
- Henry James
Yes, summer afternoons can be wonderful. Yet, alas, all good things must come to an end—including summer afternoons. Today, Saturday 21 September, will be our final summer afternoon until next year. Autumn will begin tomorrow morning.
Perhaps the two-handled vase, shown above, will serve as a reminder of endless, late-Summer afternoons. Though it was made in Mid-Century Germany, after World War Two, it clearly was inspired by Country French or Italian ceramics—perhaps a vase from Provence or Tuscany.
In the West, Friday the Thirteenth is perceived as an unlucky day. It seems that this idea became widely popular in Nineteenth Century France. The earliest written reference to unlucky Friday the Thirteenth is a line in the 1834 play, Les Finesses des Gribouilles: "I was born on a Friday, December 13th 1813, from which come all of my misfortunes." That same year, the Marquis de Salvo wrote in the Revue de Paris about a Sicilian count who had killed his daughter on a Friday the Thirteenth. "It is always Fridays and the number Thirteen which bring bad luck." In America, it was T. W. Lawson's book, Friday, the Thirteenth (1907), which popularized the superstition on this side of the...
Amongst the finest—and most prestigious—of glassmakers in the world stands Baccarat. The company was founded in 1764 in Baccarat, France (about 250 miles east of Paris). The Bishop of Metz sought a new business for the village—hopefully one which could use the large supply of firewood produced in the diocese. He appealed to King Louis XV who authorized the glassworks. The company's initial production was fairly pedestrian: window panes and tableware. But, in 1817, the company developed an improved crystal formula (using nickel oxide) and from this point Baccarat Crystal narrowed its focus to the finest, high-end merchandise. Maharajahs, Tsars, Napoleon III and The Japanese Imperial Court commissioned pieces. Other customers included Coco Chanel, Prince Rainier & Princess Grace of Monaco, Josephine...
Are humans naturally drawn to Authoritarianism? Or, rather, do people yearn to live free? For centuries, historians and philosophers have studied various peoples living under monarchs, dictators and thugs. Why do some people prefer "to just let Daddy take over"? In 2024, we still do not know this answer.
Throughout history, there have been moments of people standing up to overwhelming Authoritarianism. Most of these moments have been bloody, deadly, and have spawned unpredictable results. Ultimately, history will be the judge of whether these revolutionaries are labeled "Patriots" or "Criminals." Remember: the winners write the history.
Today, at 4:50 pm, Summer will have officially begun. Today is also the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year—that is, in the Northern Hemisphere. It's the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere. As every schoolchild learns, the Earth spins on a vertical axis, an axis which tilts back-and-forth over the course of the year. On the day of the Summer Solstice, the North Pole (that is, the Northern axis), is tipped as close to the Sun as it will get. Thus, today, the Northern Hemisphere is receiving maximum Sun exposure (and the maximum number of hours of sunlight). Starting tomorrow, the axis will begin to slowly tip-back, away from the Sun, and the days' periods...
On 5 May 1862, Mexican troops successfully defended the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe from the larger, better-equipped French forces of Napoleon III. The two forts sit atop a hill overlooking the city of Puebla (about 75 miles Southeast of Mexico City). Although the French came back the following year—and took Puebla—the 5 May event served as a motivating rallying cry for Mexican troops.
Today, Cinco de Mayo is more-widely celebrated in the United States (as a celebration of pan-Mexican culture) than it is in Mexico. However, in Puebla, the day remains important and one can visit two forts which are now history museums.
It's "Star Wars Day"! May the Fourth be with You!
I have always been attracted to otherworldly, "planetary" ceramics glazes—dappled, lunar, extraterrestrial finishes, reminiscent of foreign planets (real or imagined). What they lack in bright color, they provide amply in texture and sophistication. I keep a collection of them displayed together (most to be found in the LEO Design on-line store) and enjoy the bold impact of contrasting shapes and organic surface patterns.
The German Modernist vase shown above, made in the Sixties or Seventies by Emons & Söhne, wears a dappled grey glaze over a chocolate brown under-color. It reminds me of the planet Mercury or some yet-to-be-discovered moon.
Among the first Arts & Crafts antique pieces I purchased for my store was a piece of matte green ceramics. It was an extra-large jardiniere and it sold right away—in the first couple of days of business. Since then, I've had a particular fondness for matte green pottery. It has such a wonderful, natural, organic look. When displayed on wood, it is reminiscent of the leaves on a branch. I find the color and the finish restful.
Today is Palm Sunday—the day on which Christians commemorate the final week, hours, and moments of Christ's life on Earth. What starts with Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem ends with betrayal, brutal torture, execution and burial in a tomb. Of course, to Christians (mournful as this is), this final "Passion" is the unavoidable pathway to Christ's death and resurrection. Palms—especially palm branches—have enormous significance throughout the Middle East and around the Mediterranean. Of course, the date palm was an important source of sustenance in this hot and arid region: food, shade, and useful materials. The palm branch was sacred to Mesopotamians (c. 6000 BC), symbolized immortality to the Ancient Egyptians, and represented victory to the Ancient Greeks and the Romans....
Pilkington Royal Lancastrian employed several notable ceramics designers and decorators including Charles Voysey, Walter Crane, Richard Joyce, Gordon Forsyth and Gwladys Rodgers. The artist with the longest career at Pilkington was William Salter Mycock. In fact, his years at Pilkington spanned the lifetime of art pottery production for the company.
William Mycock was born in 1872. His earliest working years were as a freelance "jobber" decorating pottery for various firms in the region. He also painted ceramics at Wedgwood while taking art courses at night. Mycock joined Pilkington in 1894, two short years after the company was founded. At this point, he was decorating Pilkington's ceramic tiles (the company's first product).
Much of the time, Art Deco styling is expressed with streamlined shapes, sharp edges and dynamic color combinations. Art Deco was Modern, Futuristic, Ready-for-the-Space-Age. Rocket ships and airplanes symbolized this fast and forceful promise. And Art Deco was wildly popular—incorporated into all manner of design, from architecture to toaster plugs.
This vocabulary of Art Deco crispness certainly was employed in British design. But, over the years, I've noticed a distinct and specific version of English Art Deco—a sub category—which is a little gentler, a little rounder, a little more subtle than its typical American sibling. In this English variety, designers "softened" the typically crisp Art Deco features.
In the Nineteenth Century, imported Chinese ceramics were all the rage in Europe (especially England). But these costly treasures were beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest collectors. British ceramics workshops began to make goods "in the Oriental style," for the domestic market. Rarely were these pieces authentic. In fact, they were usually over-the-top. And they almost never reached the quality of true Chinese ceramics in form, glaze or handcraft. But they did allow customers of modest means to acquire a small dash of far-away style—a taste of someplace exotic, on the other side of the world, which they could never enjoy visiting in-person.
British ceramicist Edward Thomas Radford (born 1860) was a master of wheel-thrown pottery. He began his career at Wedgwood, followed by stints at Linthorpe, Burmantofts, Doulton, then back to Wedgwood. He was recruited to a new pottery company, Pilkington, in 1903 (it began making pottery in 1904) and he stayed here for the rest of his career. Radford retired in 1936 and Pilkington discontinued art pottery in 1938 (though its ceramic tile manufacturing continued). Radford was a star at Pilkington. He could throw monstrously-sized pots or the tiniest of pieces (only 1.5 inches tall). And he could throw a pot and then fashion a perfectly-fitting lid by eye (and hand) alone. Although many of the pieces at Pilkington were cast,...
This vase, probably English or French, ticks a couple of Nineteenth Century boxes: Asian Style and Darwinian Intrigue. Both of these dynamics were at play in the minds of Late Nineteenth Century Europeans. First, there was the Western fascination with "Oriental" art and design—especially Asian style as embodied by Chinese ceramics (which 95% of Europeans could not afford). For a few centuries, Western traders had been crossing vast seas, buying and selling with China, Japan and Southeast Asia. Chinese ceramics were an important (and valuable) part of this trading mix. The Chinese had mastered ceramics production techniques which blew the minds of the Europeans (this despite their fairly primitive kilns and other equipment). Red glazes (including oxblood, as shown in...
Welcome, March, and your flower, the glorious Daffodil.
Is there any flower more hopeful, more optimistic, than the daffodil? It emerges during the chilly bleakness of winter—a sunny, bright, resilient reminder of beautiful days to come. Quite often, it is the only spot of color in an otherwise grey landscape. And what a color it is!
The Stangl Art Deco vase, shown above, is dressed in a saturated daffodil yellow glaze. The vase's form is inspired by a Classical Greek or Roman urn, embellished with a pair of foliate handles—which honor both the ancient aesthetic and the modernism of the Art Deco. And the rich yellow color practically vibrates with sunny optimism.
Green is my favorite color of pottery. The reason? Perhaps because I really love wood—boxes, furniture, paneling, cabinetry—and what looks better with wood (trees) than leaves and grass (green)? I find the color green (at least most shades) calming, centering. Green relaxes me. It's the color of nature herself. And the deeper the green, the more I like it.
The Übelacker West German Modernist jug, shown above, is a home run! The earthy, green glaze, for starters, is deep, deep, deep—and just this side of muddy (without being drab). Plus, the glaze is a matte finish—another few points in its favor.
A few weeks ago, a British (Dutch-born) ceramics collector contacted me about my James Plant ceramics offerings, which he had seen on-line. He is writing a book on the influence of Gouda (Dutch) pottery on English ceramics design. James Plant's "Orientalist" wares—while they certainly have their own distinctive aesthetic—do share a similarity with Gouda's hand-painted pieces. He asked for more photos of my pieces and my permission to use my photos in his forthcoming book. I was happy to help—and happy to have acquired new-found motivation to re-shoot the photos of the two pieces (which had never been well-lit in their original photos).
The history of James Plant & Sons English ceramics is, shall we say, "contested." Although the vase designs and decoration are firmly rooted in the 19th Century—Christopher Dresser-inspired shapes, hand-painted "Persian Orientalist" decoration, and an 1890's Aesthetic Movement attitude—certain English collectors contend that such wares were created during World War I, when Liberty of London sought to find a replacement source for Gouda-type (Dutch) ceramics (which could no longer be imported, due to the war).
Here's what we do know about James Plant & Sons. There are records of multiple "James Plants" working in and around Hanley, England—the heart of "The Potteries," Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
A most handsome vase has "swum" our way: an English Art Deco beauty by Pilkington Royal Lancastrian. A repeating pattern—three carp-like species riding atop scrolling waves—is incised upon the body of the vase. A mottled orange and yellow "uranium" glaze pops against an earthy "kelp brown" background. This vase was made in the Twenties or Thirties, just outside of Manchester, England. It has enough presence to hold-its-own as a statement piece. And yet, I must admit, it does look good featured against a collection of other Royal Lancastrian pieces.
Zinc is a metal and one of Earth's 118 elements—and useful in many ways. Combined with other metals, it adds strength, corrosion-resistance or other desirable features to an "alloy." Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc (3%-45%, depending on the variety of brass desired). Zinc is sometimes alloyed with copper and tin to make bronze. And nickel silver is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. Rolled sheets of zinc are used in roofing or atop the wooden countertops in bars. And U.S. pennies, since 1984, are principally plated zinc. In recent years, since the ill effects of lead have become widely-known, zinc has often been used as a replacement for lead (in fishing weights, tire balances and other...
In the world of ceramics, I have always treasured wonderful glazes—even more than I value form. A great form, once sculpted, can be duplicated endlessly. And, in many cases, form is easy for someone else to copy. Art pottery companies in the Twentieth Century would frequently sell their old moulds—or their employees would be hired-away by competing firms. After the Coca-Cola bottle was design in 1915, it was produced in the millions (billions?) for worldwide distribution—and has become an iconic feature of the global Coca-Cola brand. But no artistry or reinvention is necessary to keep that wonderful form in the marketplace (besides aggressive lawyers who guard vigorously the bottle's trademarked shape).
This Dutch hand-hammered pewter trophy combines elements from the Art Nouveau and the Art Deco. The hammering of pewter was a classic Art Nouveau treatment. The vessel's flaring, trumpet-like shape is punctuated with a pair of feathery, classical handles—a certain Art Deco influence.
The piece is "touch-marked" with the maker's name, "Gero." The company was founded in 1912 in Zeist, Netherlands, near the city of Utrecht. Gero (which is still in-business today) was the first company in Holland to manufacture affordable cutlery. They also produced pewter ware, like the trophy cup shown above, until 1955. A succession of artists and creative directors over saw the company's design, though I am uncertain which artist designed this piece.
Let's end our parade of wintery pottery back in Pierrefonds, France—back in the shadows of the Medieval Chateau de Pierrefonds. It was here that Art Nouveau forms were dressed in sophisticated crystalline glazes, resulting in works which are unlike anything seen before or since. The French Art Nouveau vase, shown above, has an organic, egg-form body. It sits on a "platform foot" and is punctuated with two peaked, "bat wing" whiplash handles. As wonderful (and striking) as the form itself is, it's the sublime glaze that really takes this urn over the top. Multiple colors—blues, tans, greens—drip casually over the curved body of the vessel. Some of the glazes have crystallized in the kiln. And, because the vase wears a...
The English ceramic pot shown above, hand-thrown by Edward Thomas Radford for Pilkington Royal Lancastrian, is finished with a gorgeous, sky blue glaze. And, if one looks carefully, one will see that the blue glazing displays the subtlest of ombre effects—slightly lighter at the top, slightly darker at the base—not unlike the graduations of color to be found in the actual winter sky. You also still can see (and feel) the delicate fingermarks on the sides of the vessel, left by the potter himself, on the day the pot was formed upon its spinning wheel. A vase like this can be used to display a striking, minimalist floral arrangement—think three sculptural stems. It would also look good with a full,...
Even in the coldest of weather, the ocean seems to remain liquified—at least as far north as I've ever traveled (New England). It's plenty cold, indeed, yet the waves continue to wash ashore and its salty foam bubbles, churns and slowly recedes back to the sea. This West German Modernist carafe-form vase is glazed in a sea-worthy blue, topped with a dripping, tempest-tossed white foam. The corseted neck of the vase provides a constricted opening at top—perfect for gathering a modest number of stems together, nice-and-tight. And the blue (and white) coloration provides a fresh backdrop for any manner of flowers: white carnations, yellow roses, green hydrangeas.
We hop back to England, Stoke-on-Trent, to be specific. This conglomeration of six small towns in Staffordshire, England, was Ground Zero of British ceramics production in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries. The region was frequently referred to as "The Potteries." Clay could be dug out of the ground. Coal was plentiful. Labor was cheap. And the region's glut of manufacturing ensured that train service (for shipping-out merchandise) was frequent and efficient. The George Clews pottery company was founded in 1906 in one of Stoke's towns, Burslem. In 1908, they moved to bigger facilities in the adjacent town of Tunstall. Although the company was named after the Clews family patriarch, George, the organization was actually run by his son, Percy Swinnerton Clews...
Saturated blue glazes drip organically down the bold, two-handled form of this French Art Nouveau urn from the early Twentieth Century. It was made in the French village of Pierrefonds—some 55 miles North-East of Paris—in the shadow of the village's Medieval castle, Le Chateau de Pierrefonds. The deep blue glazes convey an ice-cold mien, perfect for the frozen, clean winter weather. The Pierrefonds pottery workshop was opened by a painter, a French nobleman, Comte Hallez d"Arros in 1903. He envisioned producing handsome tableware—plates, bowls, pitchers—painted with fancy aristocratic heraldry: shields, banners, noble crests. The village's castle, he thought, would be a perfect backdrop to such a romantic and aspirational product line. And the pottery's name, La Societe Faienciere Heraldique de Pierrefonds,...
This smallish vase—perfect for a stem or three—reminds me of a heavily clouded winter sky. Tightly-packed, fluffy clouds allow a bit of icy blue to peek-through. Or, perhaps, it looks like compressed ice on the surface of a frozen pond. As the water freezes and melts and freezes again, a dappled, irregular pattern emerges. The piece was made by Jopeko in West Germany in the Sixties or Seventies. Jopeko began its life, under a different name, in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Like so many Twentieth Century potteries, its earliest output was "sanitary ware"—pipes, crocks, kitchenware and water coolers—not fancy decorative objets. But, after World War II, Germany (and Japan, another "vanquished" country) found that it had a large labor force to put...
Like a midnight sky, this West German vase is a play on shades of blue: inky, blackish blue with eerie streaks of penetrating brightness. It displays a simple—yet satisfyingly sensual—organic form and wears a random drip glaze which adds to its one-of-a-kind appearance. As the glaze courses over the soft curves of the vase, it creates an object filled with dynamism and movement and complexity. The ceramicist is Fridegart Glaztle who had a long and consequential career at the Karlsruhe West German ceramics studio. The Karlsruhe ceramics factory was founded at the Turn-of-the-Twentieth-Century to produce ceramics in the Italian Renaissance style. It underwent several changes of owners over the years, including private ownership by Villeroy & Boch and being state-run...
An icy season calls for an icy glaze. This handsome piece by Fulper (c. 1905, Flemington, New Jersey) is glazed in an organic Impressionist Winterscape of lustrous and crystalline glazes—frosty blues and just a hint of green. Think of a frozen, icy rock face or the hard, shiny surface of an icebound lake. Fulper was one of the true "art pottery" workshops in America during the Arts & Crafts period, attempting to emulate the coveted "Oriental" glazes which had eluded Western potters. Although the company had started its life (in the Nineteenth Century) by making utilitarian wares, by the Turn-of-the-Twenieth-Century, Fulper was hiring skilled artists and technicians to produce quality, expensive art pottery. Part of this high-minded mission may account for...
The Winter's Chill—bitter though it is—brings with it a sense of freshness, cleanliness, purity. The color white often symbolizes a snowy, cold expanse. But I also feel that blue—the color of sky, water and ice—can express beautifully the cleansing wintry freeze. For the next few days, we'd like to present an array of handsome blue ceramics, from many different countries, which might bring a little beauty to this otherwise frosty season. In 1889, brothers Edward and Alfred Pilkington were in the coal business. One of their new, prospective mining sites, in Clifton—on the outskirts of Manchester—proved to be a bust. Sited alongside Fletcher's Canal, the mineshafts only produced water and clay. But this clay was perfect for making decorative tiles...
Welcome, December, and your sublime birthstone, the turquoise. Turquoise is amongst the earliest of mined gemstones, collected by humans for over 5,000 years. The stone has been found in Persia, the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt), Afghanistan, China, India, Mexico and the American Southwest. Egyptians buried their dead with carved turquoise talismans carefully inserted within the deceased's body wraps. The stunning burial mask of King Tutankhamun was decorated with inlaid turquoise. The Book of Exodus refers to the High Priest's turquoise encrusted breastplate. In the Middle East, mosque domes were sometimes decorated with (or painted) turquoise to convey the notion of "Heaven on Earth." And, in the New World, archeologists have found ancient turquoise artifacts of the Zuni, Pueblo, Aztec and Mayans. To this day,...
Let's wrap-up our parade of white, snow-inspired vases with this handsome urn by Roseville, circa 1930.
Classical ceramics—made in Greece, before the time of Christ—have provided inspiration to later potters for thousands of years. Shown above, a Classical Greek-form urn, adapted to the early Twentieth Century with Art Nouveau-inspired "whiplash" handles. When an ancient form is updated with a (then) modern accent, something new and interesting is created. When glazed in a clean, satin white finish, the resulting piece is timeless and endlessly beautiful.
This week we're commemorating the season's "sense of snow." Although Winter has yet to begin, it feels like it may snow at any time. Clean, white vases will help us prepare for the blanketing to come. Shown above, an Art Deco two-handled vase from the Thirties. It was made by Stangl in Trenton, New Jersey. But the Stangl company took a long and winding path to the Thirties. Samuel Hill opened the Samuel Hill Pottery in Flemington, New Jersey, in 1814. They made functional, fairly primitive items: red clay water/sewage pipes and stoneware crocks (for food storage). Potter Abraham Fulper later joined the partnership and, in 1860, purchased the company outright (at which point he changed the name to Fulper...
Though it is still late November—and Winter remains four weeks away—it's beginning to feel like snow. I have seen a flake or two twisting earthward in the last few days. So let's clean our palette, after Thanksgiving, with an assortment of snow white urns, now in stock at LEO Design. Think of this as a preview of the clean, white landscapes which will soon shimmer around us. Shown above is a Czech Art Nouveau period vase, crowned with three crisp, angular handles. It was made in Norther Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1921. The maker is Ditmar-Urbach in Teplitz-Turn, Czechoslovakia, and it was imported to the US by Ebeling & Reuss (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Theodore Ebeling and Frederick Reuss, two German immigrants to...
In 1892, in Turn-Teplitz, Bohemia (now called Tronvany, Czech Republic), a family group of ceramicists and other artists formed the ceramics studio Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel (sometimes called by its nickname, Amphora). Alfred Stellmacher (born in Thuringia, Central Germany) had developed an improved clay material which allowed him to create porcelain flowers—even better than the French, winning him a Gold Medal at the 1889 Paris Worlds Fair. Stellmacher formed RSK with his son, Eduard Stellmacher, and three sons-in-law: Karl Riessner, Hans Riessner, and Rudolf Kessel (most of them trained artists). The workshop's location in Northern Bohemia, close to the German border, gave the studio access to newly-minted ceramicists from The Imperial Technical School for Ceramics & Associated Applied Arts in Dresden...
Form, color and function coalesce handsomely in this Roseville Art Deco two-handled vase, circa 1935. Its space aged design—like an improbable Jules Verne flying saucer—offers a "throwback Modernism" to "A Futurism that Never Was." Like a Jetson's subcompact, actual flight is less important than the suggestion of aero-dynamism. The color is wonderful, too: a satiny white, not quite matte-dry, but with just a hint of shine. And I've learned over the years, a vase with a constricted neck will always make the flower arranging easier and better-looking. The narrow opening helps to support and gather the flower stems; fewer flowers won't look quite as paltry as they might when spreading across the opening of a wide-mouthed vase.
Welcome, November, and your birthstone the Citrine.
The Citrine is a pale yellow variety of quartz. Its sunny color is thanks to the iron content within the chemical structure of the gemstone. And Citrine's sunniness was not lost on Greeks—who first used the stone around 300 BC—who believed that the gemstone could help alleviate depression. At the time, Citrine was very rare, thus expensive, opulent and luxurious. As larger deposits were later discovered and mined (notably in Brazil), the gemstone became more common and fell within reach of more and more admirers.
Today is "All Hallows' Eve"—Hallowe'en—the night before the important Christian Holyday of All Saints' Day. All Saints' Day began in the Fourth Century as a commemoration of Christian martyrs. By the Ninth Century, Christian communities in England were celebrating All Saints' Day on 1 November—a practice which was soon thereafter mandated worldwide by Pope Gregory IV. All Saints' Day (a Holy Day of Obligation for Roman Catholics) is the solemnity at which all saints—known or unknown—are commemorated. In the Christian faith, a saint is simply any soul which has reached Heaven (and is with God). Although we (mere mortals) don't always know who has already reached Heaven or not, the Church has designated certain souls as having "made it"—based on...
As inventive as every generation aims to be, sometimes the past just cannot be improved upon. Such is the case with Chinese ceramics design (whom the Western World had been trying to copy for centuries). Thus, ceramicists, in every place and time, pay occasional homage to the Chinese masters of the past—and their forms which have proved classically enduring.
The Pierrefonds French Art Nouveau vase, shown above, is of classic Chinese form. But the glaze treatment is all Art Nouveau. A steely blue-grey underglaze wears a cape of dripping, organic glazes on its high shoulders. Light crystals are encrusted along the shoulders while tendrils of glaze drip languorously down the sides of the vessel
The upscale ceramics workshop Societe Faiencière Heraldique de Pierrefonds was founded in 1903 by the painter Olivier de Sorra, the Count Hallez d'Arros. He was enchanted by the picturesque village of Pierrefonds, about 50 miles Northeast of Paris. He built a pottery in the shadows of the commune's handsome chateau—decorated as it was with plenty of turrets and gargoyles. The Count's original plan was to make handsome dinnerware—plates, bowls, tureens—bearing painted heraldic decoration. The plan didn't fly and soon Art Nouveau sculptor, Émile Bouillon, came-in to try something new. Bouillon's highly-sculptural works, beautifully-glazed (sometimes with crystalline finishes), scratched the world's Art Nouveau itch—and business took off. Soon Pierrefonds was selling in the smartest Paris shops (as well as in London, New...
Amongst my favorite trio of vases—in my LEO Design collection—is this set of three French Art Nouveau vessels, which I shall share over three days, made by Pierrefonds in the early Twentieth Century. Classic forms of heavy ceramic stoneware are glazed with a steely blue-grey underglaze, then capped with an organic, dripping blend of blue glazes: cornflower, royal, cobalt blue. The crisp, classical forms are juxtaposed against the random, uncontrolled embellishment—creating an artistic, dynamic tension.
This high-shouldered vase is a classic—even an ancient—form. The dripping glazes pool and curdle within the eddies of the flat ridge encircling the neck.
Squirrels aren't the only wildlife wreaking havoc in my urban garden. Deer—over-populated and starving in the forested, nearby Schenley Park—have begun to cross into the city streets in-search of food. Since the mountain lions (which once roamed the area) are now gone, the deer population has exploded and they have stripped their wooded domain of grass, leaves and bark. As they venture out of the forest, they bring numerous problems with them. Automobiles hit them. Ticks (possibly bearing Lyme Disease) drop-off the deer, lying-in-wait for the next dog or human to pass-by. (A colleague of mine is currently battling the devastating effects of Lyme Disease—and not well.) And the starving creatures devour my lovingly-tended plants, sometimes just as they emerge...
The Art Deco ceramic rosebowl, shown here, made by Roseville in the Thirties, is an amalgamation—an artful melding—of two very different aesthetic sensibilities. First there is the form: a high-concept, industrio-mechanical sculpture, reminiscent of the vents on a piece of machinery (if not the gills on a robotic, Jules Verne shark). It's a hard, cold structure—practical, technical, efficient. (And a little scary, like a piece of equipment on the Star Wars Death Star.) Laid upon that is the second factor, the glaze. Its soft, mottled, earthy and organic coloration belies the hard, industrial form beneath. This juxtaposition of the gentle and the stern provides a wonderful contrast—a tension—in the final piece. And, as one can see, the glaze...
October is here! And with it comes the marigold—birth flower for the month of October.
Marigolds originated in Mexico and eventually spread South into Central and South America. This pungently-scented plant has been used medicinally, sometimes drunk as a tea, and it is also employed as a culinary herb. In South Asia, marigolds are used decoratively—strung into garlands or arranged as a carpet—for celebrations and Hindu religious ceremonies.
Over many years, the marigold has been developed into an easy-to-grow garden plant. Its fragrance, which some find unpleasant, is repellant to certain insects (thus marigolds are sometimes planted alongside other plants which require protection from infestation). And many varieties of marigolds have been produced by specialist gardeners.
Arts & Crafts movements—around the world—sought to "revive" (or "pay homage to") the ancient cultures, histories, art or literature of their particular countries. It was a way of "going back to the older, better times" which haunted the memories of contemporary people. The Brits referenced Medieval literary figures in their Arts & Crafts creations: knights, maidens, monarchs and heraldry. The Germans revived their Gothic folklore and fairy tales. The Celts restored their ancient, Viking-inspired decorative elements (knots, crosses, dragons and hearts). While in America, Arts & Crafts designers paid homage to the ancient, native cultures which populated the country before the arrival of Europeans: Native Americans.
Autumn leaves are the surest (visual) sign of the Fall season. Hilltops blush—first with a tinge, then with a flame of color. Sidewalks, eventually, are blanketed with crispy, desiccated leaves. Before long, the skeletal "arms" of trees—trunks, branches, twigs—will lay bare against the silvery winter sky. It's all part of the seasonal cycle of trees, and their leaves, which reminds us that the year moves-on, with or without our consent. But not to worry; the soft green buds of spring will be back in a matter of months. And the whole cycle will begin again.
This morning at 2:50 Eastern Daylight Time, the Earth will undergo the Autumnal Equinox. The Earth spins on an axis which runs through the center of the Earth, from the North Pole to the South Pole. This imaginary "stick," on which the Earth spins, tilts toward and then away from the Sun over the course of its annual cycle. When the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth is tilting toward the Sun (as it does during the Spring and Summer), the days in the North are longer and warmer. When the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth leans away from the Sun (as it does during the Autumn and Winter), the days in the North are shorter and colder. This cycle of...
The Minoan Civilization—centered on the Mediterranean island of Crete—is considered the first civilization in Europe, which coalesced some 5,000 years ago. Around 1450 BC, they came under the domination of the Mycenaeans (Ancient Greeks) and a hybrid culture developed. But the art and society of the Minoans (as can be seen at the Palace of Knossos) was lively, energetic and wonderful. The island boasts a small but terrific museum. The vase above, made in Art Nouveau Belgium by potter Antoine DuBois, is inspired by ancient ceramics such as those found in Crete. A Minoan or Greek-inspired lion leaps beneath a band of Greek Key fretwork. On the reverse, a Greek stylized palm leaf can be found, similar to those found...
We're sharing selections from our collection of art pottery, now in-stock at LEO Design, which reminds us of the Summer: the sea, the sky. This English Art Deco piece, made by Beswick in the Thirties, is a delicious combination of aqua glaze, topped with sponged-on cornflower "tendrils." The bright, optimistic coloration can only mean Summer. And the form—reminiscent of a fat penguin—adds to the piece's happy mien. It's large enough to make a statement on its own. It would also look wonderful anchoring a collection of aqueous ceramic vessels.
The Summer ends six weeks from today—on Saturday 23 September. While six weeks of Summer sounds like a good, long time, in fact, the kids will be heading back to school in a matter of days (if they're not in-class already). The snap of Autumn (along with apples, sweaters and pumpkin spice) will be with us before you know it. So, let's bask in the glory of Summer warmth for a few more days. This impressive West German Modernist vase is tall, topped with four "strap-ring" handles, and is dressed in a foamy, aqueous glaze—like turquoise seawater churned with traces of foam. Its bright, optimistic color certainly reminds me of Summer. Perhaps it will take us back to those wonderful,...
In the world of design and aesthetics, rarely is anything truly new. Designers, staring at their empty sketchbooks (and, perhaps on-deadline) have been "borrowing" other artists' good ideas since the Mesopotamians (and maybe before that). And this is not a bad thing. In my book, novelty is never as important as taste, beauty and craftsmanship. Appropriation—of dress, cuisine, architecture or artwork—is acknowledgement of someone's else's good choices. In the Arts & Crafts period, for example, designers and artists around the world sought local references from the artists (and the culture) which came before. Part of this was to honor the culture in which the (contemporary) artists were working. Additionally, Arts & Crafts designers were attempting to "go-back" to an...
At about this time last year I visited my mother in the Southwest, where she lives. Though she inhabits a fairly large town, which is part of a larger cluster of towns, her community remains "amenity-free"—meaning, in this case, that the nearest operating airport is 4 hours away by car. (By the way, there also are no arthouse cinemas or comprehensive bookstores in her town, either). I surmise that few people in her region of 100,000 people ever go anywhere by plane (or see foreign films or read secular books). So I flew to the nearest airport, rented a car, and drove the additional 4 hours to join her. Despite my annoyance (and travel exhaustion), it was a beautiful...
Let's end our summer tour of Gouda with this sunny, summery piece made in the 1920's. With just a whisper of Mediterranean chic, this Dutch vase is embellished with bold flowers and leaves in marigold, burnt orange, mossy green, aqua blue and white. A serpentine border provides a meandering edge to the painting. This happy vase will certainly take you back to sunny days during the coldest weeks of the Winter.
Of all the Gouda pieces I've bought, sold and collected over the years, this one may be my all time favorite. The size is impressive. The shape sublime. And the hand-painted Art Nouveau florals are boldly handsome. But it's the color that delights me the most: a sophisticated blend of varied, saturated blues set against an earthy olive green (with small pops of golden embellishment). The color palette is an exercise of sophisticated restraint. It's date-marked 1922, a few years after the Great War, during the waning days of the Art Nouveau movement. In a couple of years, the Art Deco movement will coalesce. (Though the movement will go by a different name for a while, "L'Art Moderne." The term...
This week we are sharing a collection of nice Dutch pottery from Gouda, the inland city in the Netherlands. I have always liked these hand-painted ceramics, especially those Art Nouveau pieces which seem to be inspired from Oriental ceramics (in this case, pottery and tiles from the Near East: Persia and the Arab lands). Such "exotic" ceramics, made in Holland, would be more accessible and less costly to middle class consumers in Europe. While the carriage trade could afford real Persian ceramics (or, better yet, vases from China or Japan), working people—desiring a little taste of Orientalism—could better afford something less rare, made closer to home. The genie bottle, shown above, has the feeling of Persian ceramics work—with the inclusion...
Gouda (pronounced "How-dah") is a Dutch inland city—known for its local cheeses, bisque clay pipes, Stroopwafel and hand-painted ceramics from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras. Built on marshlands in the Medieval era, Gouda had all the things needed for ceramics production: clay, a heat source for firing (peat), a manner of transport (waterways, then railways), and labor for crafting the objects. Although some solid-colored pottery was made in Gouda, local potters are best know for the detailed, fanciful, hand-painted designs which ran the gamut from folk art to the sophisticated. The Golden Age of Gouda pottery was from the 1880's to the 1920's. Like many Gouda products (including pipes, cheese and Stroopwafel), Gouda pottery soon developed a worldwide...
Happy Independence Day! On this day in 1995 (I remember it well), I was on my hands-and-knees, belt-sanding the floor in my first shop, 413 Bleecker Street. The shop was to open in a month—and there was no time for a day off. But it didn't matter: I was independent, I was my own boss, I was taking the first few steps off of an interesting and fulfilling career as a shopkeeper. This year—twenty-eight years later—I probably still will spend (at least) a little time at work. I'm leaving on vacation in five day's time and need to make use of the time. I guess some things don't change! As in 1995, I still live a life on-deadline. But...
Welcome, July, and your birthstone, the Ruby. The ruby—called "The King of Gemstones"—is one of the four "cardinal" gemstones (alongside diamonds, emeralds and sapphires). It is a variety of Corundum, as is the sapphire (the blue variety of the same stone). Rubies get their color from chromium and the deepest, darkest-red stones are the most valuable (called "pigeon's blood rubies"). Pink rubies can also be found, however, in the United States, they must be sold as "Pink Sapphires" (not rubies). The ruby is also the third hardest gemstone (after diamonds and moissanite). All natural rubies have imperfections called "rutile needles" which give the appearance of threads or silk fibers within the stone. Such imperfections can be reduced through heating—though an...
Today is the First Day of Summer! It is also called "The Summer Solstice"—the "longest day of the year." Technically, the Summer Solstice occurs today at 10:57 am (Eastern Time)—the precise moment when the Northern half of the Earth is most-tilted toward the sun. Because of this maximum tilt, the Earth gets maximum sunlight (thus, it's the longest day). Going forward, the Northern axis will slowly tilt away from the Sun and each day will get a little shorter (until the Winter Solstice—the shortest day of the year—when the Northern axis begins to resume it's annual crawl-back toward the sun). Shown above, a summery Dutch vase. Made in Gouda, Netherlands, in the Twenties, it boasts a wonderfully-sunny hand-painted floral decor—a perpetual...
Spring treats us to a palette of wonderful soft green shades—from the yellowish to the bluish. And, as the seasons progresses, the colors deepen, become richer, stronger and "more serious."
This English Art Deco vase was hand-thrown by the potter Edward Thomas Radford for Pilkington Royal Lancastrian. A whisper of cool, pale celadon glazing recalls the tenderest of new spring leaves. Beneath this glaze, one can still see Radford's fingermarks, left permanently behind from the day the vase was turned on a wheel.
Such a soft green glaze looks best when juxtaposed against a complimentary (or contrasting) color. An aqueous wall or a collection of blue and green ceramics will bring-out the best in this handsome, delicate glazing.
Cinco de Mayo—the Fifth of May—commemorates Mexico's victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. The celebration was short-lived, however. Within months, the French were back (with increased troop strength) and took Mexico City. In 1865, once the American Civil War was concluded, the United States began to support Mexican independents and pressured France to withdraw—which Napoleon III did in 1866.
Today, Cinco de Mayo has become a celebration of Mexican-American heritage, culture and cuisine. The feast actually is more popular in the United States than it is in Mexico itself. Though, today, other international locales are beginning to celebrate the holiday, too.
Welcome, May, and your majestic birthstone, the Emerald! Emeralds are one of the four "cardinal" gemstones, alongside diamonds, sapphires and rubies. Perfect emeralds are very rare. Because they are so susceptible to flaws, the industry allows them to be graded with the naked eye (that is, without magnification). This allows them a bit of a "reprieve" from the harsh standards of other rare gemstones—as almost no samples would pass muster under rigid scrutiny. It an Emerald looks perfect to the naked eye, it is considered flawless. The most valuable color is a deep green, but one that is very clear and bright. Emeralds are a variety of Beryl and its green coloration is due to chromium "impurities" trapped within the...
During the British Aesthetic Movement and Arts & Crafts periods, designers sought inspiration in numerous places—including from the Middle East. Medieval Persian and Iznik (Turkish) tilework provided rich influence for Western designers who were looking for fresh and natural design which suited the Art Nouveau aesthetic. Middle Eastern ceramists incorporated botanical naturalism and graphic energy in their works, two elements well-suited to the Arts & Crafts. Westerners favored the distinctive historicism of Middle Eastern design, not to mention an "Orientalist" exoticism which was extremely popular in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Europe.
In the earliest days of the French Art Nouveau movement, Clément Massier opened his ceramics workshop in the South of France, in Golfe-Juan along the Côte d'Azur. Even as a young boy, he was intrigued by the ceramics of Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. And, by hiring the best ceramicists and glaze masters, he was able to revolutionize the world of Turn-of-the-Century ceramics. He (and his staff) developed wonderful metallic lustre glazes—and enjoyed strong sales amongst the smart set who visited the French Riviera's seaside resorts. Artists, aristocrats and European royalty patronized his gallery. And soon his work was being sold in the most exclusive shops in Paris and New York. Today, Massier's work can be found in museums such...
In honor of the Spring, we are sharing some of our florally-inspired items over the next several days. Enjoy the season—including the flowers which delightfully distinguish the Spring. This has always been one of my favorite vases. Stylized dandelions are carved and hand-painted upon the classic body of this heavy, stoneware vase. The Aesthetic Movement decoration provides a glimpse of the Art Nouveau movement to come. It was made in 1896 by the little ceramics workshop, Revernay, in Digoin, France. Revernay seems to be an "offshoot" of the older Alsace (France) ceramics workshop, Utzschneider & Cie. Utzschneider had been founded in the Eighteenth Century and counted Napoleon I amongst its customers. Alas, not much is known about the Revernay ceramics firm—except for...
This is one handsome vase! A robust shape, punctuated with bold, tapering vertical ribbing, and finished with a mottled vermillion glaze—this piece is a knockout whether standing alone or as part of a larger collection. It was made by Pilkington Royal Lancastrian during the Art Deco Thirties. Pilkington's, the company, had planned to go into the coal mining business in Lancashire, England. But the company owners found very little coal while digging—all they managed to turn-up was clay! So Pilkington began to make ceramic tiles in 1893—a time when decorated tiles were much needed in the building trades. Before long, Pilkington added ceramic vessels to its production: bowls and vases. Pilkington received international acclaim for its works as well as recognition...
Even today, the civilizations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea are astounding: the food, the cultures, the art and craftworks. But the Mediterranean's rich heritage extends back for millennia: the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Minoans, Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans—just to name a few of them. Even today, the art and antiquities of the Mare Nostrum are inspiring artists and all who love beauty. This Belgian vase, made by Antoine DuBois in the 1920's, is decorated with an incised "rampant lion" who looks like he may have leaped off the frescoed wall (or mosaic floor) of an ancient Mediterranean palace. On the reverse side, a stylized incised palm leaf continues the Greco-Mediterranean aesthetic. That this motif inspired an Art Nouveau ceramic artist shows...
The day after Easter—called "Easter Monday" or "Bright Monday"—is a national holiday in many Western countries (though not in the United States). Banks and government offices are closed and families relax together or participate in customary activities specific to their locale. Many of these celebrations involve eating special foods, often out-of-doors. Italians and Spaniards picnic in the countryside or barbecue outside. Coptic Christians in Egypt eat fermented mullet (also outdoors!). Sporting activities are popular elsewhere. In Australia, horseraces and rugby games predominate. Germans play egg-rolling games (Catholics joining-in after Mass). And some Austrians organize walks called Emmausgang—recreating the walk of the disciples along the Road to Emmaus (on which two of the disciples recognized the resurrected Jesus when he appeared...
Chad Pesach Sameach! Happy Passover!
Passover is the annual Jewish celebration commemorating the Israelites' escape from enslavement in Egypt. In the Book of Exodus, God sends the "Angel of Death" over Egypt, directed to kill every firstborn child and animal. But the captive Israelites were instructed to mark the lintels of their dwellings with lamb's blood, thus marking their homes for preservation. The Angel of Death would then "pass-over" the homes of the Jewish believers, thus sparing them.
Like many Jewish festivals, it begins at Sundown on the previous evening—today, 5 April. This year, Passover concludes on the evening of Thursday 13 April.
Palm Sunday—one week before Easter Sunday—marks the start of the Christian "Holy Week" which culminates with Easter, the most important day of the Christian calendar. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem to great celebration, welcome and fanfare. Many of the revelers waved palm branches, laying them on the ground before Jesus. Within days, He would be condemned by the authorities, tortured and crucified. This rollercoaster of adoration and renunciation provides the dramatic prelude to Jesus's death—a tragic but necessary passage which had to happen before the Resurrection. Why palms? Palms have a long history of importance and symbolism in many cultures. In the arid climes surrounding the Mediterranean, palms provided life-sustaining food, shade and building materials. In Ancient Egypt, the...
Spring is here. With luck, the Spring weather will follow shortly. Until then, a cheery reminder of the seasons to come: Spring, Summer and Autumn. This Dutch vase, from Gouda, Holland, was made in the Twenties. Hand-painted decoration includes flowers, leaves and graphic embellishments—all in rich shades of marigold, rust, greens and blues.
March is here—and he brings with him the month's birth flower, the Daffodil. March is derived from the name "Martius," the first month of the Ancient Roman calendar. Martius was named after Mars, the hot-blooded God of War. Daffodils are a member of the large Narcissus family which also includes paperwhites, jonquils and a very wide range of narcissi. While there are numerous natural varieties, they have been vigorously cross-bred by humans, resulting in countless hybrid cultivars. Daffodils grow from bulbs, from which the flowers emerge—a trumpet-like "corona" surrounded by six petals—usually in the Spring. They are believed to have originated some 25 - 30 million years ago in Southwestern Europe: Spain, Portugal, Southern France, Italy and along the Mediterranean...
This week we have been sharing pieces from our collection of George Clews "Blue Chameleonware" Art Deco ceramics made in England in the Twenties and Thirties. Let's end our "parade of pottery" with this perfect pot—a handsome piece, just the right size, with broad shoulders, a little spout of a mouth, and an attractive, hand-painted "Indian Flame" design around its shapely body. Because of the color palette chosen by the decorator, this piece really leans-in to its Persian Iznik aesthetic roots. The color combination has a certain "freshness" to it—cool and clean, crisp and precise. And since the sidewalls "return" to the center (and the mouth), this piece looks wonderful whether viewed from the side, from the top down, or from...
