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Any thoughts on the maker of this pottery???

pencilboy
12 years ago

I've had this for a while & have never been able to come up with a maker. The mark on the bottom is indistinct, several pottery dealers have looked at it & felt it was familiar but not familiar enough to come up with the maker. Thought I'd throw this out there for a puzzler. It's stoneware & the decoration is both incised & glazed & it's about 10" tall. Everyone agrees that it looks english rather than american. Thx for any leads.

Comments (11)

  • Richard Dollard
    12 years ago

    For some reason it looks religious to me. Is that a Noah's Ark on the front and perhaps the fish has something to do with christ/god? And those look like crosses going around it and in between the crosses looks like ocean waves? Anyway, that's my take? Call me crazy but that's what I see.

  • lindac
    12 years ago

    Although it looks nothing like Czech pottery I am familiar with.....the mark looks a little like this one....any chance it could say "made in Czechoslovakia"?
    Linda C

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1374756}}

  • pencilboy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    The mark is impressed, not printed & in the photo looks much more distinct than it is in person. I don't think it's Amphora pottery, we've had too many of those to be confused with it. Thanks to both for your thoughts. Never thought of religious, I think it's an english arts & crafts artist as do a number of other dealers, none of us can quite put our finger on who.
    Any other ideas??

  • lindac
    12 years ago

    Can you do a rubbing of the mark and make it more legible?

  • pencilboy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Have tried that, nothing other than it is an oval shape & even with that only a portion of it shows on the rubbing. The mark looks way better in the photo than it does in person.

  • calliope
    12 years ago

    The motif suggests an attempt at an ancient Egyptian or mediterranean theme. The ark isn't thought of as a vessel with oars. Looks like Coptic crosses, and the whole shebang sort of abstract. That particular incised matte glazing technique was popular in the fifties. It's an interesting piece, and I don't pick up any clues whatsoever about country of origin.

  • lindac
    12 years ago

    that's not "The Ark"...looks like a papyrus boat....that's why I thought Egypt.

    Here is a link that might be useful: papyrus boat

  • Richard Dollard
    12 years ago

    Ok Linda, you got me! LOL!

  • Fori
    12 years ago

    DOn't give up yet, J&J--it's just Exodus and not the ark. We can still be Bible here! :P

    (No clue, obviously, but it's somehow very appealing, isn't it?)

    I'm going with a "gone fishin'" theme.

  • wendy177
    12 years ago

    Where the mark is impressed in the piece try pressing a piece of silly putty into it and see if it will show better than making a rubbing.

  • pencilboy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    So some similarity in subject matter is one of the reasons that there is some thought that it's english. I do not believe it is William de Morgan, I'm just pointing out some similarity in designs of english pottery.