This week, we are marking the passing of Pope Francis by sharing a collection of simple, white ceramics which (somehow) capture the elegant purity and honest simplicity of the beloved pontiff.
Like Fulper Pottery in Flemington, New Jersey, Haeger Pottery began its life humbly. It was founded in 1871 making bricks, drain tiles, flower pots and tiles in Dundee, Illinois. In 1914, Haeger decided to establish a higher-margin artware division. Haeger hired-away ceramicist Johann Martin Stangl (from Fulper) to direct the new division. Thus began one of the highest volume mass-production ceramics workshops in America. Eventually, Stangl returned to Fulper (which he later purchased and renamed after himself). But Haeger continued to grow (and succeed) through the Art Deco and Modernist periods, eventually closing-down in 2016 (after 145 years of manufacturing).
The simple, tapering "trumpet vase," shown above, is part of Haeger's Modernist production in the Sixties or Seventies. It is taller than most vases—at 12 inches tall— and provides a simple, elegant silhouette for any type of floral arrangement. Further, its elegant matte white glaze makes it suitable in many locations. Haeger made a substantial number of vases and flower bowls for the floral trade—such was the elegance and simplicity of their output. Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome vase.
More simple, white pottery tomorrow and in the days to come.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.