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 ROOKWOOD 

POTTERY

This is one of my favorite things.....it's beautiful!

Here is more information about this VERY COLLECTABLE  Pottery

 

 

Rookwood Pottery was founded by Maria Longworth in 1880, forming the business in Cincinnati, Ohio in an old schoolhouse she named Rookwood after the family estate. From the beginning, Rookwood was a haven for talented and artistic women who loved their work of decorating pottery. However, Rookwood quickly grew into a well respected business, one of the first in America to be owned and operated by a woman. The quality of the craftsmanship, artistry, and innovative glazes were widely recognized and loved, and the distinctive green and gold of early Rookwood glazes came naturally from the effect of the Ohio clay. The first artist she hired was Henry Farny who was well known for his American Indian subjects. Several years later, William Watts Taylor became the manager of Rookwood Pottery, and under his leadership it began its climb to the top. Taylor encouraged innovation in all aspects, and he hired a top chemist to develop unique glazes never before seen. From the beginning, Rookwood has been prized by collectors due to the detailed and accurate markings which reflect style, model number, artist, date of manufacture. Taylor brought in many more top artists including Kataro Shirayamadani, who was one of Rookwood's best known artists from 1890 until he died in 1947 at age 93. A new factory was built in 1891 to accommodate the growing number of resident artists and craftsmen, now numbering over 60. Almost all of Rookwood pottery is marked, most with the famous flame mark dating the individual pieces and the marks of famous artists such as Shirayamadani, Schmidt, Daly, Van Briggle, Wilcox, Hurley, and many more.

Maria Longworth soon married and maintained less interest in the business, leaving the operation in the hands of Taylor who ran the business until 1913 when he passed away. To diversify, Rookwood began producing commercial architectural pieces about 1902 which soon began to appear in buildings across the country. Rookwood tiles became quite well known through their use in major hotels, train terminals, Grand Central Station and several subway station stops in New York City. By the 1920s, Rookwood had grown dramatically into a thriving concern employing over 225 workers, and thousands of visitors came to the factory each year. Rookwood has always been expensive and remains so today, and while there was some mass production they always maintained a strong, individualistic artistic tradition. The Great Depression was a disaster for Rookwood and most other makers of luxury goods as the population could no longer afford such items. As the country climbed out of depression, cheaper clones of Rookwood tiles and vases began to appear, further weakening the financial condition of the company. In 1941, Rookwood Pottery filed for bankruptcy. A succession of subsequent owners could never recapture the glory years of Rookwood, and production ceased completely in 1960.
 

Thanks to collectics.com for the great information.

 

See more photos and descriptions of the different styles and glazes below.

Matte  -  Standard/High  -  Vellum  - Crystalline  -  Tiles  -  Bookends  -  Figurines

rookwood pottery, cincinnati, ohio, kataro shirayamadani, charles todd, maria longfellow, E.T. Hurley, Carl schmidt, matt daly, leonore asbury, Caroline Steinle, Katharine Hickman, Grace Young, Elizabeth Lincoln, William E. Hentschel, Elizabeth Barrett, Loretta Holtkamp, Ed Diers, Sallie Coyne, Harriet Wilcox, Albert Munson, Anna Marie Valentien, Harriet Wenderoth, Anna Marie Bookprinter,William P. McDonald, H. Pabodie Stuntz, Charles J. McLaughlin, William E. Hentschel, Jens Jensen, Loretta Holtkamp, Lorinda Epply, Charles J. Dibowski, Adeliza Sehon, Adeliza Sehon, Clara Lindeman


GREAT BOOKS ON ROOKWOOD POTTERY

 For more reading on Rookwood Pottery, my recommendations would be:

 
 

Rookchuck's EBAY Auctions

 

A silver overlayed Cup. Circa 1896

Leonore Asbury Vellum Vase - 1922

Standard glaze from 1901 Iris

Brownmatte Glazed Vase with Oriental Flowers.  Circa 1921

Crystalline Glazed Vase Circa 1928

A Fiance Tile of Geese

Wonderful Carl Schmidt Vellum Plaque - 1916

Rookwood made lovely Bookends with animals and are VERY desireable!