Fall Edit 2022 Blog #3
“Prudence and good behavior are like the decorative arts, nothing is finally successful which does not satisfy the mind as well as the eye.”
Martine, Arthur. “General Rules For Conversation.” 1886. Martine’s Hand-Book of Etiquette and Guide to True Politeness, Applewood Books, 2006, pp. 127.
The Arts and Crafts movement began with the ideas of British artisan William Morris (1834-1896) and writer John Ruskin (1819-1900). Morris and Ruskin believed that the growth of cities isolated urban workers and that mass production negatively affected artisan crafts. They proposed to solve these issues by returning to a medieval-inspired village model where everybody participated in a community lifestyle. In the United States, artisans adapted these ideas into the studio art pottery movement. Unlike their British counterparts, who often focused predominantly on social issues and therefore made objects that incorporated Gothic and Renaissance motifs, American craftsmen developed a cohesive and novel aesthetic.
Founded in 1890 by J.F. Weaver in Roseville, Ohio, Roseville Pottery was one of the fastest growing pottery companies at the turn of the century. After incorporating three other ceramic plants from 1895 to 1901, the company relocated to Zanesville, Ohio, where it remained until its eventual closure in 1954. The company employed Frank Ferrell, who took over the designs in 1909, was responsible for most of the floral and plant design lines produced by the company.
Our current Roseville wares are excellent examples of Ferrell’s inclination for botanical wares, which were responsible for the Roseville’s long-lived success. Here we see Roseville’s 1930s “Poppy” and “Ixia” lines, which combined blooms and delicate foliage with textured two-tone bodies with nods to Art Deco and Art Nouveau styling motifs in yellow-green and pink-blue color combinations. Our later 1940s “Magnolia” line creamer and sugar set feature large white blossoms with mauve-green pallets.
All Roseville Pottery is composed of stoneware. Unlike earthenware, which is prone to chipping and crazing, stoneware’s non-porous body maintains a tighter chemical composition, ensuring its durability. Both because of its strength and long-lived production, Roseville Pottery remains one of the most-collected ceramics from the art pottery movement.
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