ART NOUVEAU-ARTS AND CRAFTS POTTERY TILE IN SECCESSION MOVEMENT BRONZE FRAME

This fabulous pottery tile and bronze frame represents the embodiment of the Art Nouveau and Secession Movements of Europe that in the United States was known as the Arts and Crafts Movement.

ROOKWOOD ARTS & CRAFTS TILE & BRONZE FRAME

The bronze frame is a true representation of the Secession Movement of Austria in its purest form whereas the tile is Art Nouveau in its purest form. The obsession with floral hand painting on porcelain and pottery amongst the Victorians swept through Europe all way across the United States from 1876 to the mid 1920s to greet the Art Deco Movement which was conceptualized in France and carried by varies designers across to the United States.

Such hand painting of naturalistic themes such as flowers, birds and animals were evident and abounded during the Art Nouveau Movement. Each and every factory and small studio potteries in England and other parts of Europe in addition to the United States were at the time striving to produce their best with whatever resources they had, whether it was a combination of chemists, potters, artists and money, to produce nothing but their best such that the world would take recognition of marvelous creations each and every factory were endeavoring.

Such hand painting as is exhibited on this tile is firstly done on a bisque pottery engine turned blank which is evident when one looks at the back of the tile. Afterwards the tile is overglazed. Such hand painting is called underglazed hand painting.

If we look at the bronze frame, we will see the brilliant execution and exoneration of the Austrian Seccession Movement to its fullest. This is manifested by the use of serpent heads and tails on both handles of the bronze frame, with an elaborate scroll and leaf motif on border finalized by four claw feet.

Through our research we are lead to believe with great certainty that this tile is from the early years of the Rookwood factory, which was located in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A. The factory was located at 207 Eastern Ave. until 1893.

The tile itself is firstly well modeled with an exquisite hand painted primrose floral design. This is an absolutely fabulous example of early American art pottery from the Art Nouveau Movement of which the Arts & Crafts Movement was part. It is too early to be signed. Only after circa 1900, did many of the pottery factories begin to sign their wares with identifying cartouche or incised marks. This tile when dissembled from its frame displays a “W” monogram and date 1880 on the back, of the artist who hand painted it. The tile measures 8 1/4’’ square without the frame. This type of glaze was only executed by a handful of potters at the time in the United States. It was customary at Rookwood Pottery for the decorators to incise their initials or monograms on the bottoms of the pieces painted by them.

Think for a moment especially if you own an Arts and Crafts home in the Frank Lloyd Wright style how wonderful this tile would compliment such architectural features. Usually the proud owners of such homes decorate with and have collections of Art and Crafts pottery that they boast throughout the household. Exquisite taste of this time period in architectural design and pottery are indeed a true testament to the designers and artists of their time and is truly represented by this wonderful tile.

This is an absolutely fantastic connoisseur collector piece of pottery for the advanced collector! Guaranteed to please the collector who has everything, does not really need it, but who has to have it because of its representation of beauty, rarity and exquisite depiction of the Arts & Crafts Movement, at its apex in America.