Appears to be an elongated turquoise and green palmed leaved vase. Marked and signed on the underside with Rookwood stamp. Good color and glaze throughout. Noted hairline crack from the top edge, approximately 2" possibly from wear and aging. Also noted is a small unglaze portion, which may be a chip. Can detract from the value as noted. The entire vessel is in bright and good color condition.

Taylor had a three-point plan for making Rookwood a household name: standardize the product line, market products through fashionable stores, and offer what people wanted, as determined by market surveys. He hired a chemist to develop the unique matte glazes the pottery is known for. He encouraged innovation and risk-taking and paid special attention to the pottery markings, which added to its appeal to collectors. He brought in professional artists and let them build a career around painting pottery. One of his artists, Kataro Shirayamadani, worked as one of the pottery's outstanding painters from 1890 until his death at age 93 in 1947.

Rookwood pottery won awards in such prestigious international competitions as the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo and the 1901 Exposition International de Ceramique et de Verrerie in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1980, 100 years after its founding, a piece of Rookwood pottery sold for $23,000 at an auction at Christie's in New York, setting a world record price for pottery.

The original Rookwood Pottery closed in 1961. They sold the rights and the molds to a clock company in Mississippi, who made a few pieces from 1961-1965. A Michigan dentist purchased the molds in 1983. He does one firing of tiles a year using comparable glazes and sells exclusively to retailers. The original Rookwood Pottery factory is now a restaurant called, you guessed it, The Rookwood Pottery Restaurant.

If you are interested in having a USPAP style appraisal, please contact me at RBeat@AOL.com, as you have a very nice and extraordinary piece.

This online appraisal is an expert's opinion of the item(s) depicted above based solely on images and information supplied by our customer. Additional information, not shown on this certificate, may have been taken into account for this online Appraisal.

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