A comparatively near neighbour of Rookwood is the Gates pottery, near Chicago, where Teco ware is made. The potter’s love for his work, and the potter’s zeal to produce something more perfect and beautiful than he had ever done before, led William D. Gates, who had long made terra cotta for architectural purposes, to experiment with clays and glazes until finally Teco ware was evolved. It is a hard, durable pottery built on simple lines. Western artists and architects of note have contributed designs and forms for this ware, and, for the most part, the pieces are beautiful and restful to the eye. The few incised or moulded decorations are not made prominent, but are suggested rather than sharply defined. Over all is a mat-glaze of soft, wax-like texture in green—the green that makes one think of weathered bronze.
Set in a picturesque valley, surrounded by flowers, and near a little lake, the Gates potteries are so situated as to inspire the artist potters who mould the forms and decorate the ware. It has been the aim of the makers of Teco pottery to produce a ware that shall be satisfying and beautiful, and yet of comparatively slight cost.
It is a far journey from these potteries to the three New England cities where are the Grueby, Dedham, and Merrimac potteries. Grueby ware, which was first made in Boston in 1898, is remarkable for the glaze, which was discovered by Mr. William H. Grueby. Although, for many years, dull-finished pottery has been produced by sand-blasting ware with a glossy finish, or by taking a piece of glazed pottery and treating it with acid, to make it dull, the Grueby potteries were the first in the history of ceramics to make a dull-finished pottery in their kilns. The surface thus obtained has a deep, velvety look, unlike any other finish made—such as that which was possessed by old Corean pottery. The ware was first exhibited in Paris, in 1900, where it made quite a sensation, and the French Government awarded the Grueby Potteries a gold medal for enamels and glazes, as well as a silver medal for design, and gave Mr. Grueby personally a gold medal for the work he had accomplished in dull-finished enamels. The forms are simple and good, and the decorations, which are incised or modelled in relief, are planned so that the glaze shall flow well over them. Common plant forms, such as the mullein leaf, blades of grass, plantain, and the enfolding leaves of the lily, are the motives for these designs. There is a delicacy—one might almost say a reserve—in their treatment that is rare and very interesting. The pottery is hard, and the glaze such as is applicable to a ware which fires at a great heat. The colours of Grueby pottery are beautiful and rich, ranging from an old ivory tint to golden yellows, russet browns, and velvety blues and a variety of green shades. The texture of the glaze is soft, like the bloom of a melon, and it has an unusual network of markings. No moulds are used in making this pottery; it is all thrown on the wheel, and, as in the old wares, no two pieces are exactly alike.
Besides its beauty and artistic value, the fact that the Grueby pottery is made in forms that are useful makes it doubly desirable. Among lamp-jars, particularly, there is the greatest variety. These are made both for oil and electricity. In the Grueby-Tiffany lamp, two charming products of applied arts are combined—the jar being Grueby ware, and the leaded or blown-glass shade of Tiffany design and workmanship.
The Dedham pottery is remarkable for many reasons, chief among them being the fact that it is, as already stated, almost the only place in this country where art tableware is made. Some of this ware, which is popularly known as the Bunny china, has lifelike little rabbits on the border, other pieces have designs of ducks, and others still have borders of fruit. The wonderful Oriental glazes that are used on pieces of Dedham ware were re-discovered by Mr. Hugh C. Robertson. The best-known glaze of this pottery, however, is the gray crackle-ware with designs of blue.
At the Merrimac pottery, in Newburyport, an excellent ware is made. A few of the pieces are moulded, but the majority are thrown on the potter’s wheel. Little decoration is used, the charm of the ware being its form and colour.
Among the most remarkable of the artist potters of this country is Mr. Charles Volkmar, of the Volkmar Kilns, in Metuchen, New Jersey. An artist to his finger-tips, he has a potter’s thumb which is the envy of all those who were less evidently born to the craft. Mr. Volkmar studied not only art, but his craft as well, in Paris, wearing the blouse of a workman in the potteries, where he learned so admirably how to work in clay that there are few in this country who approach him. The ware made by Mr. Volkmar and his son, Mr. Leon Volkmar, is remarkable for the simple beauty of its forms and for the quality of its glazes. The body of the ware is pale yellow, and it is exceedingly hard and durable. Years ago, Mr. Volkmar made a fine blue-and-white ware, which was decorated with historical scenes. His pieces now are for the most part finished with a mat-glaze, although some have a glossy transparent surface. All are beautiful in colour. Here is where the artist shows preeminently. The deep, rich texture of the mat-glaze softens, but does not hide, the simple incised or built-up designs. The pierced designs of Volkmar pottery are decorative and strong. This ware is as practical to use as it is charming to look at. The flower-jars are in tones that harmonise delightfully with the blossoms that fill them, and the jugs have flowing and graceful lines, and yet are substantial and of generous proportions. The plate shows a few pieces of this ware. The piece on the left is a pale yellowish-brown, with a glossy finish; this is suitable for a lamp-bowl or for flowers. Beside it is a sturdy little mug, with a deep green mat-glaze. The next jar is finished with a dull blue transparent glaze, and the taller vase-shaped piece on the right has a mat-glaze of pale gray-green. Not far from the Volkmar Kilns, at Woodbridge, New Jersey, is the Poillon pottery, where garden ware is made. Great tree- and plant-tubs, sun-dial stands, well-curbs, and window-ledge boxes are a few of the things that come from this pottery. The forms of these pieces are substantial and good. Some excellent indoor pottery is also moulded—candlesticks, toilet sets, jugs, and flower-bowls—a host of useful and attractive shapes, coated with a flowing glaze. The ware is finished in a variety of colours, yellow being one of the most successful. The Poillon potteries have designed special earthenware for country clubs—lamps, toilet sets, ashtrays, match-bowls; all uniform in colour and design, and each specially adapted in form to the use for which it is intended.
