Early 20th Century Design 
19 January 2023
Early 20th Century Design 
103

Grueby Faience Company

Important covered jar with moths

USA, 1898-1910
glazed earthenware decorated in cloisonné 6¾ h × 5¾ dia in (17 × 15 cm)
estimate: $50,000–75,000
result: $138,600
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The present lot is one of only four known examples of Grueby pottery decorated in the cloisonné technique. One is held in a private collection, another at the Newark Museum of Art, and a third example was recently donated to The MET by Dr. Martin Eidelberg.
Glazed-over impressed manufacturer's mark to underside.
provenance: Important Private Collection
exhibited: From Our Native Clay: Art Pottery from the Collections of the American Ceramic Arts Society, 10 July - 28 August 1987, Christie's, New York
literature: From Our Native Clay: Art Pottery from the Collections of the American Ceramic Arts Society, Eidelberg (ed.), pg. 43, no. 73 illustrates this example

This work will ship from Rago in Lambertville, New Jersey.

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The Grueby Moth Jar

by David Rago

The artware produced by Grueby Pottery was innovative in many ways, incorporating new techniques and glazes while creating an organic, naturalistic approach to ceramic design. Decorated work consists almost entirely of “unforced” (naturally shaped and easy to throw) forms with leaves and/or flowers tooled and applied, or sometimes modeled, into the surface of the pot. The pots are then covered with a fairly limited range of colored matte glazes, with green, of course, being the most dominant.

Matte glazes run in the heat of the kiln, drawn downward by the earth’s pull; when you see matte-glazed pottery on which the decoration looks smeared, it is due to heat and gravity doing what comes naturally. Such glazes are difficult to control and, as a result, less than 50% of Grueby pots exited the kiln perfectly fired. Yet, when you look at any of the thousands of tiles produced by the company (and, after 1907, this was pretty much all they made), you would have little luck finding a failed example. This is primarily because the glazes on tiles did not have to fight gravity, but also because the design components are separated by thin clay walls deeply pressed into the surface of the tile (cuenca) or by a waxy substance (cuerda seca), successfully keeping the glazes from consorting with each other. 

Detail of the cuenca technique
Detail of the cuerda seca technique
Detail of the cloisonné technique


In some cases, Grueby employed a cloisonné-like technique in which lines of slip were used to contain the flow of the different colored glazes. It was a more involved process mostly applied to tiles and very rarely on vases. The Moth jar is one of four known examples, with one each at the Metropolitan Museum in New York (a recent gift from Dr. Martin Eidelberg) and the Newark Museum of Art in New Jersey (presumably bought by their prescient founder, John Cotton Dana), as well as a fourth example that remains in a private collection. Such pieces had to fire perfectly without the glazes pooling into an inarticulate mess, especially with designs so intricate and ambitious.

The Moth jar is an iconic work by one of America’s most important Arts and Crafts producers and is the only one we’ve seen in over half a century.

Art Pottery Highlights

David Rago Discusses Works from Early 20th Century Design on January 19, 2023

 

Lot 103
Grueby Faience Company
Important covered jar with moths

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Many competent critics regard Grueby ware as the highest achievement of the potter's art in this country. It has a distinct individuality in character and tone ... relying for its effect ... on the super finish of its surface, on the subdued richness of its colors, and on the ideas embodied in its designs.

Walter Gray, "Latter-Day Developments in American Pottery," Brush and Pencil, January 1902

Grueby Faience Company

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Grueby is a name synonymous with the American Arts & Crafts Movement and a marker of exceptional quality.

Grueby Faience Company was established in 1894 by William Henry Grueby. A great admirer of the matte glazes of French pottery and the refined simplicity of Japanese ceramics, Grueby founded his company with the intent of creating works of ceramic art that folded these two influences into a singular design philosophy that was wholly American. The bulk of Grueby’s creations were works of art pottery, though the company was also highly regarded for their production of some of the best architectural tiles in America.

The aesthetic of Grueby pottery has been described as ‘organic naturalism’ and can be identified by two defining characteristics: form and glaze. Most Grueby pottery features vegetal shaped forms, often bulbous and gourd-like, adorned with stylized foliate designs that were either placed above or carved into the vessel’s surface. The majority of these pieces were glazed in a matte cucumber green that would come to be the company’s hallmark. Other Grueby glazes exist, including light blue, soft yellow, and a handful of other earthen hues, though none of these are as quintessentially “Grueby” as the deep woods green seen on most of the manufacturer’s pieces.

Grueby pottery and tiles enjoyed great popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were sold in fine design shops from Paris to New York City. Grueby even landed a partnership with Tiffany Studios, producing lamp bases for the renowned lighting and glass manufacturer. Before long, Grueby became a victim of its own success, inciting mass-market competition that led the company to declare bankruptcy in 1909. Grueby emerged from bankruptcy but was shut down shortly after due to a fire in their manufacturing wing. Grueby was able to rebuild, but the weight of tragedy had begun to take its toll. The company closed its doors for the last time in 1920.

In the modern secondary art market, pottery and architectural tiles by Grueby are highly collectible and sought after. Innovative in design, delightful in form, and steeped in history, Grueby pottery and tiles are true American treasures.

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