Rookwood Pottery Bottle Vase

Rookwood Pottery (1880-1960), Cincinnati c. 1882

An early example of Rookwood Pottery, the decoration of this vase, dated 1882, bears strong resemblance to a pitcher made (and signed) that same year by Laura Fry, an instructor in the short-lived Rookwood School of Pottery Decoration (1881-1883). These pieces, with their incised fronds, as well as their indigo and olive glazes, demonstrate the influence of English precedents – primarily that of the Doulton Pottery at Lambeth – on American pottery.