Art Pottery, Porcelain, and Other Ceramics For Sale
Ginny and Forrest's Oddities and Antiques
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Sarreguemines
Sarraguemines: Here's one of those pieces that helps us earn the "Odd" in Odditiques. This charger or plaque was made by Utzchneider & Co. in Sarreguemines, France around the turn of the century, but that's certainly not the odd part. The scene shows a German or Alpine beer garden, all nicely idyllic right down to the birds in the arbor. We have one guy with a pipe and hassling the server, one guy passed out while the server still pours him more beer, one guy off to the side not looking too happy, and a glass and cards littering the ground. Okay, nothing new in all that......until you pay attention to scale and detail and realize that these appear rather childlike. I don't know why they did it or what tradition they're playing with, and I'm sure people would through an absolute fit if a pottery produced this plate today, but it's still a quirky delight. You can have fun inviting friends over and waiting to see if they notice. The primary decoration is transfer. It looks like there's some handcoloring, but I think that's more illusion and wishful thinking that reality. The metal rim is non-magnetic and fairly thin but has a neat Greek Key variant in the openwork. The metal rim is a bit of a mystery for me. Something had been splattered on it in the past, so it had to be cleaned. It doesn't shine up like silverplate but shines up more than pewter. It could be aluminum, which would be unusual for that time.
Price: $95 plus shipping and insurance. Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote. Size: The ceramic portion of this piece has a diameter of about 10" and the total with the trim is about 12 1/2". Condition: very good on the front, but there is a chip on the back. It doesn't hurt the aesthetics at all, and it also still hangs with no trouble. Of course, all our sales are fully guaranteed.
Sylvac/Falcon Ware
These Zeeland vases are a lovely puzzle. The style and base make them look like Falcon Ware from Thomas Lawrence, but they were made by Sylvac. However, they actually were made at the Lawrence factory in Longton very shortly after Shaw and Copestake bought that company in 1938. I suspect that the Zeeland design may have even already been in preparation since it's so much in the Falcon Ware look. The shape almost certainly already existed. Zeeland items seem to be uncommon to rare, which could be because of the war, which limited most pottery production in England, or it could be in part because so little is known that they just don't show up well in internet searches......maybe some of both reasons. At any rate, I really suspect that these are rare because of the size and because they are still together as a "facing" pair. Form and decoration are traditional in many ways, but the bold colors still pull from Art Deco tradition, and the way the cobblestones separate as they come toward the front adds a very surreal, modern element. Oh, and Zeeland is a province in The Netherlands, which explains both the name and the decoration.
Price: $325 plus shipping and insurance. Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote. Size: Height is about 14 5/8". Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Kupittaa
This vase was made by Kupittaa in Finland, and while the shape was used as early as the mid 1920s, based on clay color and marking style, this example is more likely from the 1930s.. It's like a brown version of the Geranium glaze from Royal Haeger or similar glazes from Red Wing around the same time. The ripply, rumpled body is fun and unusual, but it's the glaze that's most impressive. All in all, it's a great piece of Scandinavian mid century modern pottery.
Price: $95 plus shipping and insurance. Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote. Size: Height is about 8". Condition: Excellent with no damage and no repairs. All sales are fully guaranteed.
Belgian Pottery
Based on the glaze and the bottom, this vase comes from the Torhout area in Belgium. What's unusual is the fact that this one has a signature, either Riss or Kiss. Unfortunately, I've had no luck tracing any permutation I can come up with. I can't even confirm if this is a company name or the artist, but the work is excellent. Likely date of origin is early 20th century.
Price: $85 plus shipping and insurance. Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote. Size: Height is about 11". Condition: Excellent with no damage and no repairs. All sales are fully guaranteed.
Jean Massier & Cie
This French art pottery is marked Jean Massier & Cie. The company was formed by Jean and Henri, sons of Delphin Massier, but was only in business for about 3 years in the early 20th century. So to go along with this unusual form and coloring, the vase is almost certainly uncommon or rare. The glaze combines a lavender and pine green or teal coloring. It's not a combination I'd think of, but it certainly works here. The mark isn't a clear impression, but there's enough to be sure of the origin.
Price: $125 plus shipping and insurance. Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote. Size: Height is about 9". Condition: Excellent with no damage and no repairs. All sales are fully guaranteed.
Lazarus Straus/Royal Rudolstadt
This vase was made by the German company, Lazarus Straus & Sons, often called Royal Rudolstadt. The US branch was known as the New York and Rudolstadt Pottery Co, and this particular mark indicates that the vase was made at the Rudolstadt Works between 1895 and 1924. (Information comes from Chris Marshall's "Porcelain Marks and More" site.) The company has really never gotten the respect in deserves, and this excellent vase shows that great respect is deserved. It's exquisite in form, subtle coloring, and execution.
Price: $75 plus shipping and insurance. Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote. Size: Height is about 8". Condition: One handle has been reglued, but it was a very clean break leaving little sign of the damage. You can see the condition in the detail shots. The price takes the damage into account. All sales are fully guaranteed.
Etelhem
This nicely made bowl was made at Etelhem pottery on the Swedish island of Gotland. I've seen one suggestion attributing a matching style to Erik Annervik, but there was no confirmation. I've also been told that "Iwan" is an acronym from the artist's name but no confirmation or additional information. At any rate, it's hand thrown with a bark or cork-like exterior and a varied cobalt glaze on the inside.
Price: $45 plus shipping and insurance. Shipping will depend on location. Contact us for a quote. Size: Height is about 3". Condition: excellent with no damage, no repairs...fully guaranteed.
Buying, Paying, and Such Things
You may notice that we don't have a checkout where you can just click for your goodies without so much as saying hello. Well, we want people to say hello, ask questions, even hope for a better deal. Long ago, I told stories for 7 hours (free refills on coffee), so "impersonal" just isn't my style. Click on one of those "E-mail" buttons. I can't handle as much coffee as I used to, so the stories will be fewer.
These days, Paypal is about the easiest payment method around, but we still take checks, even cash. No Monopoly money, nothing printed up in your basement, no chickens, etc., but otherwise we're fairly flexible. If we can put it in the bank without anyone getting in a tizzy, we'll probably take it.
Please take time to stroll through the site. Sorry we can't offer you a cup of coffee or tea while you're looking, but maybe you can take care of that yourself. Just don't spill it on the keyboard. And if you run into any questions along the way, there should be an e-mail link on every page, so just click and ask.
Hope you'll enjoy our "sing the body eclectic" approach (with apologies to Walt Whitman). As always, proceeds go to support our creditors, my spouse, our cats, my auction addiction, and the plumbing project that never ends.
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