A Pottery Paradise of Grueby, Taxile and More Ohr At Rago's

by Kate Nixon

Early 20th Century Design
January 21st 2021, starting at 11am

Preview
by appointment

American art pottery collectors – rejoice! Rago Arts and Auction Center brings you gorgeous works up for bid for collectors of all levels next week on January 21st in their Early 20th Century Design auction, starting at 11am Eastern. Featuring a number of rare Grueby vases, 38 George E. Ohr vases, experimental vases from Hugh C. Robertson, Cowan pottery, a number of Stickley chairs, tables and sideboards, Limbert furniture, Tiffany lighting, and American and European produced lighting from the collection of Jack Jacobsen, the auction shows a curated array of the known icons of american art pottery.

From ceramics to metalwork, this 364-lot auction features many highlights by leading american and european makers including George Ohr, Tiffany Studios, Taxile Doat, Viktor Schreckengost, Lalique, Josef Hoffmann, Gustav Stickley, Waylande Gregory, and more. David Rago, the preeminent expert in the field of American ceramics and art pottery and regular on the PBS series, The Antiques Roadshow, noted earlier in an interview with Antiques and the Arts Weekly the continuing popularity of american art pottery in auction sales, noting the high price of a Marblehead Pottery vase sold for $150,000 during the summer of 2020. “This was a particularly strong example,” said Rago, “in perfect condition, precisely fired, and with more than the usual amount of modeling of the design. They can be relatively flat, and the gentle incising and tooling really helps bring out the nuances of the design. I have sold two more of these at auction, about $130,000 all in. The price is definitely a record for the form.”

Interested collectors may submit maximum absentee bid(s), arrange for phone bids on the day of sale, and bid live online (requires registration on Rago’s website). Faxable bid forms are also available by clicking here.

Below, we’ve listed some examples that we’ll be keeping our eyes on. For more information about Rago’s lots, click on the catalog link at the top of the page.

All descriptions and information below courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction center.

Lot 202

Grueby Faience Company Rare and Large vase

USA, 1898-1910
glazed earthenware 16 h × 9 dia in 41 × 23 cm

estimate: $12,000–16,000

Impressed manufacturer’s mark to underside ‘Grueby Pottery Boston U.S.A.’ with lotus symbol and incised unidentified artist’s cipher.
provenance: Butterfield & Butterfield, San Francisco | Private Collection, New York
literature: The Ceramics of William H. Grueby, Montgomery, pl. XLIX

Lot 204

Grueby Faience Company Rare vase with tulips

USA, 1898-1910
glazed earthenware 12¼ h × 9 dia in 31 × 23 cm

estimate: $6,000–9,000

Impressed manufacturer’s mark to underside ‘Grueby Faience Co. Boston U.S.A.‘ with lotus symbol and numbered ‘161’.
provenance: Important Private Collection

Lot 100

George E. Ohr Exceptional vase

USA, 1897-1900
glazed earthenware 8½ h × 3¾ w × 3 d in 22 × 10 × 8 cm

estimate: $35,000–40,000

Vase features a ruffled rim, ribbon handles, and a mauve, rose, blue, green, and gunmetal glaze. Impressed signature to underside ‘G. E. Ohr, Biloxi, Miss.’.
provenance: The Artist | Thence by descent

Lot 117

George E. Ohr Vase

USA, 1897-1900
glazed earthenware 5 h × 4 dia in 13 × 10 cm

estimate: $10,000–15,000

Vase features a crimped rim with sponged-on indigo, cobalt, green, gunmetal, and yellow glazes over a pink ground. Impressed signature to underside ‘G.E. Ohr, Biloxi, Miss.’.
provenance: Collection of Robert A. Ellison | Rago, Early 20th C., 27 October 2012, Lot 721 | Private Collection
literature: George Ohr: Art Potter, Ellison, pg. 77 pl. 69 illustrates this example

Lot 190

Arthur Baggs for Marblehead Pottery Rare vase with crabs

USA, 1915
glazed earthenware 7 h × 9 dia in 18 × 23 cm

estimate: $9,000–12,000

Incised signature ‘AB’ and impressed manufacturer’s mark and date to underside ‘MP 1915’ with ship symbol.
provenance: Important Private Collection

Lot 151

Dirk van Erp and California Faience Trivet

USA, c. 1920
glazed earthenware, copper ½ h × 5¼ dia in 1 × 13 cm

estimate: $1,000–1,500

Impressed open box manufacturer’s mark to underside ‘Dirk Van Erp San Francisco’ with windmill.

A similar example is held in the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Please see Rago’s website for more information.

Stay tuned for a preview of Treadway Gallery’s February 7th auction in the coming weeks!