Ewer

Decorator: Albert R. Valentien, American, 1862–1925
Maker: Rookwood Pottery Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, founded 1880
Date: 1896
Material: Glazed earthenware
made in: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
Classification: Ceramics, containers
Collection: Decorative Arts and Design
Current Location: On View, Gallery 335
Dimensions: 12 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (31.8 x 19.1 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Thomas T. Hoopes
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 57:1987

NOTES

Sprays of delicate orchids ornament the swelling base of this long-necked pitcher, or ewer. The floral painting, executed in colored slip (clay thinned with water), echoes the impasto or textured application of oil paint. Introduced in 1883, the Rookwood Pottery’s Standard Glaze line featured dark backgrounds and naturalistic, painterly decoration under a glossy, gold-tinted glaze, as seen here. Artist Albert Valentien was the first full-time decorator hired at Rookwood.

Provenance

Family of Thomas T. Hoopes, Massachusetts [1]

- 1987
Catherine F. Hoopes

1987 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Catherine F. Hoopes [2]

Notes:
[1] According to Catherine F. Hoopes, the ewer belonged to the family of her husband, Thomas T. Hoopes, in Massachusetts [donor form, signed March 25, 1987, SLAM document files].

[2] Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, April 7, 1987.

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