Judith Miller on Rookwood ceramics

Judith Miller extols the highly decorative Rookwood ceramics from America.

Rookwood Pottery was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1880 by Maria Longworth Nichols, a patron of the arts and a wealthy heiress who decorated ceramics as a hobby. Initially, the company lost money until Nichols invited William Watts Taylor to run it a few years later. Taylor set about organising the structure of the business and standardising lines; however, the founder continued to paint under her new married name, Maria Longworth Storer.

ABOVE (left-right): Scenic Vellum by ET Hurley, 1908, £1,500-£2,500; Iris glaze by Lenore Asbury, 1906, £2,000-£3,000; Iris bulbous vase by Clara Lindeman, 1908, £800-£1,200.

Well-proportioned and balanced shapes were thrown and decorated by hand; these were then finished with one of the many glazes used by Rookwood. Taylor encouraged experimentation: technicians were employed to reproduce ancient methods and glazes, but he also wanted them to develop new ones. The first to be produced is known as ‘Standard’, which is typified by a graduated brown background, usually painted with flowers.

Following the success of Standard, the clear, glossy ‘Iris’ and green tinted ‘Sea Green’ were introduced in 1894; the former won an award at the 1900 Paris Exposition. A few years later, in 1904, the company’s chemist and superintendent, Stanley Burt, developed ‘Vellum’, which creates an Impressionistic appearance by diffusing the painted decoration it covers, giving a pleasing and gentle hazy effect.

ABOVE (l-r): Vellum by Fred Rothenbusch, 1925, £800-£1,200; Standard glaze decorated by Edith Felten, 1904, £100-£150.

Rookwood’s most famous decorator was Kataro Shirayamadani, a Japanese artist, who worked for the firm from 1887 until his death at 93 in 1948. Six years ago, one of his pieces sold for a staggering $350,750. The pottery employed many skilled artists such as Ed Diers and Clara Lindeman; their work is also desirable.

FEATURE JUDITH MILLER PHOTOGRAPHS BELHORN AUCTION SERVICES, DAVID RAGO AUCTIONS, JAMES D JULIA INC
Featured in the November 2010 issue of Period Living

Buy Judith Miller’s Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2012-2013