Keramics and Rookwood Back In Humler-Curated Auction
Keramics & Rookwood: American & European Art Pottery
Friday, November 15th, 2024
Starts at 11:00am Central/12:00pm Noon Eastern
Click here to view the catalog of the Keramics & Rookwood auction.
A beloved auction for American and European Art Pottery collectors will kick off in two days from Chicago auction company Toomey & Co Auctioneers.
This latest of the Keramics & Rookwood: American & European Art Pottery auctions from Toomey & Co Auctioneers will take place this Friday, November 15th at 11:00am CT/12:00 PM Eastern. The auction is curated by ceramics expert Riley Humler.
The 400-lot auction will feature late 19th and early 20th century works by such notable Rookwood artists – and its founder Maria Longworth Nichols Storer – Wilhelmine Rehm, Edward T. Hurley, William P. McDonald, Kataro Shiriyamadani, and Sara Sax. The beauty of art pottery firms Pewabic, Peters & Reed, Hartford Faience, North Dakota School of Mines, George E. Ohr, Newcomb College, Roseville, Overbeck, Royal Doulton, and Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel and other firms will be shown in this quarterly offering.
Rare scenic Vellum vase with deer grazing under a full moon by Kataro Shiriyamadani of Rookwood Pottery. USA, 1908 glazed earthenware 9¼ h × 4 dia in (23 × 10 cm) Estimate: $1,500–2,000.
Humler, a collector and ceramics expert with decades of experiences in the antique art pottery world, worked at Humler & Nolan before working with Toomey & Co Auctioneers with this special series highlighting both American and European Art Pottery. “I will always be chasing pottery and paintings as it is and who knows, I may materialize in another location down the road,” Humler told ArtsandCraftsCollector.com back in June of 2020. “I have made many friends over the years who share my interest in Rookwood and art and they are the real treasures of my business.”
Riley Humler will appear as a speaker at the 38th National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows in February speaking about the life work of Rookwood artist Kataro Shiriyamadani. Please see the website Arts-CraftsConference.com for more on his talk.
Interested collectors may register to bid in the auction through the Toomey & Co website or LiveAuctioneers. Please make sure you are registered prior to bidding. Toomey & Co will also take phone, absentee, or in person bids. Those interested can contact Toomey & Co’s bid department at [email protected] or call at (708) 383-5234.
Please see a small selection of works below and click here to view the entire catalog of the Keramics & Rookwood auction.
Roswell T. Putnam for Hartford Faience Rare and Monumental scenic tableau
glazed earthenware 18″ h × 72″ w × 1 d in (47 × 185 × 3 cm)
The present example is the only known freestanding example of this size.
Tableau features two owls perched on trees, flanking a winding road leading up to a farm house and a full moon in the background.
literature: Stickley Style: Arts and Crafts Homes in the Craftsman Tradition, Cathers and Vertikoff, pg. 108 illustrates smaller version Arts and Crafts Tile from the Collection of the Two Red Roses Foundation, Montgomery, ppg. 232-233 illustrates smaller version
Rare Mahogany Glaze vase with trillium by William P. McDonald for Rookwood Pottery
glazed earthenware 8¼ h × 7¾ dia in (21 × 20 cm)
The present example was purportedly exhibited at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.
Vase features fine patches of Tiger Eye and Goldstone glaze effects. Impressed manufacturer’s mark, date and number to underside ‘Flame mark 664 C R’ with incised artist’s initials ‘WPMcD’. Penciled to underside ‘ World’s Fair Chicago 1893’.
Rare and Impressive production Spanish galleon by William P. McDonald for Rookwood Pottery
polychrome-glazed earthenware 22 h × 21″ w × 7 d in (56 × 54 × 18 cm)
Galleon features three masts with wind-powered sails, flags and crow’s nests, gallery comprised of multiple decks with ornaments and lanterns adorning the windows, and a figurehead. Impressed manufacturer’s mark, date and number to underside ‘Flame mark XXVI 2849 V’ with incised artist’s monogram.
Rare and Monumental scenic Butterfat vase by Wilheimine Rehm of Rookwood Pottery
glazed porcelain 15″ h × 7½ dia in (40 × 19 cm)
Purportedly, the present example was a gift from Victor Emanuel, owner of Aviation Corp. (Avco) to Tom Gridler, President of Republic Steel as a wedding gift in 1941 and was inherited through descent to the current owner. It is also the largest example of Butterfat glaze that we have seen.
Vase features a fantastical scene of a hunter taking aim at a lion, figures on horseback, foliate motifs and skyscrapers among clouds. Impressed manufacturer’s mark, date and number to underside ‘Flame mark XXX 2368’ with fan-shaped esoteric mark, 50th Anniversary kiln mark and glazed artist’s initials ‘WR’.
Rare and Early Vase by Mary Chase Perry for Revelation Pottery (Later Pewabic Pottery)
glazed earthenware 4″ h × ½ dia in (12 × 1 cm)
Inscribed Marion John Nelson inventory number to underside ‘345’.
provenance: The Marion John Nelson Collection of Art Pottery | Private Collection
Click here to view the catalog of the Keramics & Rookwood auction.