While out and about for July 4th weekend in Maine, I came across this green and blue glazed earthenware bowl, impressed on the base, "GRUEBY FAIENCE CO. BOSTON USA." The bowl was made in South Boston, Massachusetts at the William Grueby (1867-1925) Faience Company between 1897 and 1909.
According to an article published in the December 2007 issue of Yankee Magazine, "The story of William Grueby's pottery company begins at the height of the American Arts & Crafts movement, where ceramist, William H. Grueby attended the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago (Illinois). There he admired the new matte-glazed wares of French art potters. After returning home to Boston, he worked nearly five-years experimenting and perfecting his own matte glaze for the tile and architectural ceramics he was designing. In 1897 he founded the Grueby Faience Company, and a year later, introduced his matte-glazed vases, bud bowls, jardinieres, and other plant wares.
Grueby's work found popular and critical acclaim worldwide. His innovative style attracted the interest of fellow Arts & Crafts icons, including Louis Comfort Tiffany, who paired stained-glassed lampshades with Grueby pottery bases, and Gustav Stickley, who displayed Grueby wares alongside his furniture. Grueby's success, however, though brilliant, was short-lived. Hundreds of potters produced lower-priced, inferior copies of the Grueby look. Crippled by the competition and the public's waning interest in the Arts & Crafts style, Grueby Faience declared bankruptcy in 1909 and produced only architectural tiles until 1920."
I was really drawn to the glaze found on this bowl, seeing that I can not remember seeing a green and blue glaze from the Grueby Pottery before; a green glaze, absolutely, but I cannot recall having seen this exact color combination. Nonetheless, this bowl is an outstanding example of the art pottery made in South Boston surviving in basically as-made condition.
A Green & Blue Glazed Earthenware Bowl from the William Grueby Pottery in South Boston
Wonderful Bowl and Painted Chair Found Last Weekend in Maine
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Late 19th or Early 20th Century Earthenware Bowl
Made at the William Grueby Pottery in South Boston, Mass.
Impressed on the Base "GRUEBY FAIENCE CO. BOSTON USA"
Circa 1897-1909
Measures 8" in Diameter
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A View of the Green and Blue Glaze
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View of the Impressed Base "GRUEBY FAIENCE CO. BOSTON USA"
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Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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