California Art Pottery 1900-1940

ROBLIN GREEN-TEA GLAZE LOW BOWL, PRE-1906

2008-05-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Roblin Art Pottery was started in 1898 by Alexander H Robertson & Linna Irelan. They made hand thrown pieces of red, buff and white clay. Robertson developed the glazes and Irelan did the modeling. The company was destroyed during the SF earthquake (and fire) of 1906. Due to the extreme scarcity of these pieces, condition is not really a factor. This bowl is in mint condition with only some minor glaze loss around the lip.

AREQUIPA POTTERY HAND-THROWN/CARVED VASE, A. SALON PERIOD, 1915

2008-04-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

Arequipa Pottery in Marin County, CA was open between 1912-1918. This piece dates from the post-Fredrick Rhead period, the second production period under the direction of Alfred Salon, c. 1915. The vase is hand-thrown and the floral decoration is hand-carved on the piece. The glaze is a wonderful speckled, egg-shell brown and tan. On the bottom you can see that the material the vase is made from is a marvelous local, red, California clay. The bottom is impressed Arequipa California, the Arequipa oak tree and vase logo, #635, 16, and the artist's initials GL.

AREQUIPA POTTERY, FREDRICK RHEAD ERA, 1912, SMALL BOWL

2007-11-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

Arequipa Pottery was open only 7 years, 1911-1918. The first three years were under the tutelage of the famous potter, Fredrick Rhead. This glaze has the dripping, cratered finish which identifies it as being from the Rhead-Era, not the Albert Solon middle period. This is a wonderful hand-thrown, hand-decorated bowl with a grey-blue glaze. Look how amazing the red California clay is in the photo of the Arequipa stamp on the bowl's bottom. Arequipa pottery, like Grueby, is all unique-ware, that is, each piece is one of the kind. This fabulous bowl embodies all the aesthetics of the Arts and Crafts movement: simplicity, beauty, and functionality.

CALIFORNIA FAIENCE, SMALL CUENCA BOWL, 1920'S

2007-08-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

The California Faience Co. started in Berkeley CA in 1916 and was originally called "The Tile Shop." Tile was the bulk of the company's output; the limited amount of "art ware" it created at the same time was always marked "California Faience." California Faience was very meticulous about the quality of their products and sold to high-end markets. The company frequently collaborated with local metal smith Dirk van Erp. California Faience Company's most famous clients were Julia Morgan and William Hearst (whose castle at San Simeon was decorated with California Faience tiles.) The stylized art deco, Spanish/Moresque design on this small bowl is executed in a hand-applied polychromatic cuenca. This particular piece is very rare because it is decorated and has multiple colors.

Initially I was told that this piece, which was custom made for the Eureka Inn, was a sugar bowl. I have now found an example of the California Faience "sugar bowl" model. It's clearly not the same shape and this bowl shows no wear of ever having had a lid. Here is the sugar bowl:

CATALINA POTTERY, ZINC GREEN VASE 1930's

2007-03-08T17:49:00.000-08:00

This is Catalina pottery from the 1930's from the Gladding McBean company.