In the 1800s, ladies of means often passed their time gathering with friends for a painting club. With blanks provided by traveling salesmen, these ladies would paint their favorite designs on fine china which would then be fired for use in their homes. One such woman was Mary Longworth Nichols.
In 1876 Mary decided to take her hobby to a new level. She built her own kiln, gathered together local artists and chemists, and through the next few years developed high-quality glazes that had never before been seen. Four years later in 1880, in an old abandoned school house bought for her by her father, she started what would become one of the greatest art pottery factories in the world, The Rookwood Pottery Company.
Rookwood has always stood for quality of the highest degree. While it was the practice of most American potters to sell their “seconds” without disclaimer, Rookwood held to the policy of a releasing for sale only those pieces that were absolutely perfect. This dedication to quality made them the premiere manufacturer of American art pottery, and has sustained them as one of the most highly collectible names in the field for over 125 years.
From the beginning it was Nichols’ desire to create pottery that was artistic, rather than commercial. To accomplish this she hired highly regarded sculptors and easel painters from the Cincinnati area. Through the years of production, these skilled artists produced works with Oriental, European, Victorian, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and Arts and Crafts themes, giving each era of Rookwood it’s own unique character.
Through the combined efforts of Mary Nichols and her hand-selected chemists, many new glazes were developed. A study of these glazes will help you in understanding the age of your Rookwood pottery. Pre-1910 finishes include: the ”standard” glaze, a very high gloss combination of gold, red and orange over dark brown featuring floral, leaves, and American Indian characters; the textured “flat matte” glaze, painted on soft colored clays with an aquatic or floral motif; the “vellum matte” glaze which was pale blue over a soft colored clay and commonly featured landscapes; the “iris” glaze, often found with a floral motif, is a high-gloss white over a pastel base; and the hard-to-find “tiger eye” glaze, so named for streaks of gold throughout the body of the piece. The most popular of the post-1910 finishes was the “ombroso” glaze applied to black or brown matte incised pottery.
Very early unfinished pieces, referred to as “green ware,” were often hand painted by the buyer. They will be of an obviously lesser quality than factory artist pieces and are not considered authentic Rookwood by collectors.
The Rookwood factory was hit hard by the Great Depression. The architects that had once purchased large quantities of Rookwood tiles and mantels were now canceling orders, and the a vast majority of the American public needed their money for more practical purposes. The company showed its first loss in 1934 and within two years was reduced to operating only one week a month. Although it showed some recovery during the 1940s and 50s, the glory days of Rookwood were gone and it closed the doors for good in 1967.
The pottery market, nation wide, has seen a decline in recent years and your Rookwood may have not held it’s purchase value. To see the current market value of your pieces, go to antiques.about.com/od/onlinepriceguides/ig/Rookwood-Pottery-Price-Guide for pictures and values for some of the more popular pieces of Rookwood. Until next time….Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for senior and the liquidation of estates and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com
