COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 43, NO. 12 FRIDAY MARCH 23, 2012
Van Briggle Pottery: The Glory Of The Rockies By Donald-Brian Johnson
he soft tones of the glaze are closely akin to the deep blues and purples of the mountains, to the brilliant turquoise of the skies, to the greens of summer, and to the wonderful rosy and tawny tones of the plains in winter. The clay is Colorado clay, and the decoration in low relief is taken largely from native wild flowers conventionalized. It expresses not only the ideas of its maker, but the spirit of the country as well.” Colorado Springs Gazette, 1905 A palette of vibrant color.
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the Academié Julian in Paris. There, Van Briggle became fascinated by pottery produced during the Chinese Ming Dynasty, particularly by its “dead” (soft matte) glazes. The technique used to produce these true-ton a t u r e ’s - c o l o r s glazes had been lost in the mists of time; resurrecting it became Van Briggle’s obsession. (Another Paris-inspired obsession: fellow art student
Indian maiden grinding corn, turquoise blue glaze. 7-1/2 inches high, $175 to Deer vase, brown glaze, $200. 9 inches high, $75 to Nature’s essence, transmogrified $100.
into clay. These are the magical elements behind the enduring appeal of Van Briggle, America’s oldest continuously operating art pottery. Nestled at the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Van Briggle Pottery turned out its first artware in 1899. Since then, collectors have clamored for the pieces created by Artus and Anne Van Briggle, and their successors. The lines are simple, yet evocative, the glazes deep and velvety, the finished product hypnotically alluring. A Van Briggle vase may not actually be a slice of turquoise sky, or an armful of summer greenery. But it’s the next-best thing. “The Oldest Art In History” Van Briggle Pottery owes its heritage to the turn-of-the-20thcentury experimentations of company founder Artus Van Briggle. Born in Felicity, Ohio, in 1869, Van Briggle moved to Cincinnati while still in his teens. His first paying job: at the “ A r n o l d Fairyland Doll Store,” which put him to work painting facial features on bisque and china dolls. After juggling an apprenticeship at Avon Pottery with classes at the Cincinnati Art School, Artus moved on to the famed Rookwood Pottery. His skill as a decorator, specializing in hand-painted design, brought him to the attention of Maria Storer, Rookwood’s founder. In 1893, recognizing his unique artistic talents, Storer sponsored Van Briggle’s further studies at
Anne Lawrence Gregory who, in 1902, became Anne Van Briggle.) Returning to the United States in 1896, Artus balanced part-time work at Rookwood with his ongoing quest to recreate the Ming glazes. In 1899, the never-robust Van Briggle, suffering from the onset of tuberculosis, moved to Colorado, in hopes that a higher, drier climate might benefit his health. (Another, although unspoken, reason for the move: a desire to create pottery with greater simplicity of decoration than that favored by Rookwood.) Settling in Colorado Springs, Van Briggle continued his glaze experimentation, utilizing native clays from the vicinity of the Pineapple candleholders, mulberry glaze, 7 inches long, $50 to $75 a pair.
Garden of the Gods. Sometime in 1900, (the exact moment has never been pinpointed), Van Briggle’s Holy Grail of Glazedom was attained: the marble-like soft glaze of the
Ming period was successfully married to the sturdy clays of Colorado. In December, 1901, Van Briggle pottery was first officially offered to the public; all three hundred pieces in the initial run were immediately snapped up, and a pottery legend was born. “Every Tone Of Light And Shadow” “Few men have done as much for an art as did this man.” Henry Russell Wray Colorado Springs Gazette, 1904 For Artus Van Briggle, the search for pottery perfection lasted longer than the success that followed. In 1902, the Paris Salon recognized his innovative glaze and design work with varied awards. In 1903, “Despondency,” a Van Briggle vase with the figure of a sorrowful w o m a n coiled about the vase mouth, was a Salon first-place winner. 1904 brought further honors at the St. Louis Exposition. But in July, 1904, at the age of 35, Artus Van Briggle succumbed to his ongoing illness. The company was now in the hands of his partner, in work and in life, Anne Van Briggle. A talented artist in her own right, Anne Van Briggle built on the creative foundations established both by Artus, and during their collaboration, expanding the company’s output and workforce. (In the 1950s and 1960s, a shiny-glazed pottery line, uncharacteristic of the firm’s usual product, was incised “Anna Van Briggle,” supposedly in Ann’s honor; it bears no connection to her own work.) Most importantly, at least to the throngs of potterylovers who soon flocked there, Anne Van Briggle spearheaded the 1908 construction of the new Van Briggle Memorial Pottery complex. “It’s A Free Tour!” Do you know: - that “throwing on the potter’s wheel” is the oldest art in history? - that this old and fascinating art can be seen at the Van Briggle Art Pottery without charge? - that this trip is known as the “wonder trip” of the Pikes Peak Region? - that Van Briggle is right on the Garden of the Gods road, and when taking auto trips your driver will stop without extra
charge? Van Briggle promotional brochure, 1950s From the moment it opened, the Van Briggle Memorial Pottery was a must-see tourist destination. “In the shadow of Pikes Peak” was no exaggeration: the pottery’s handy Monument Valley Park location proved ideal for attracting tourists already in the
Mule figural, 3-1/2” high, $75 to $95.
area. Even family vacationers and honeymooners needed an occasional breather between treks up the Peak, and motor trips through the Garden of the Gods. What could be more enticing than a restful hour or two perusing pottery in production? And, after viewing demonstrations of “the oldest art” in full swing, who could resist stocking up on at least one Van Briggle purchase, as a spe-
Nicholas Van den Arend, (“and built at tremendous cost,” boasted the company brochures), the Memorial Pottery had a folksy Flemish manor-house design, ideally suited to its open-air surroundings. All building décor items, most notably the colorful exterior tiles, were produced at the Van Briggle plant. While most associate the Van Briggle name with its decorative line of artware, this was an all-purpose pottery. Among the numerous products produced there over the decades: tile, both plain and decorative; enameled brick; architectural embellishments; mantel inserts (as well as complete mantels); garden furniture; lamps and electrical fixtures; wall fountains, and even advertising novelties! Wrote one impressed visitor after her tour, “I consider my visit to your art pottery one of the high spots of my trip to Colorado”. And, as Van Briggle often assured us, “thousands more agree”. “If It’s Van Briggle, This Mark Is On It” Of course, the major drawing card for Van Briggle has always been its line of artware, first premiered by Artus. Some pieces are utilitarian (vases, bowls, planters, candleholders, and the like); some, such as figurines and wall plaques, are purely decorative. But regardless of function (or non-function), the timelessness of Van Briggle blends well with any décor. Although nominally Art Nouveau in its use of velvety-rich muted color, swirling lines, and soft-edged shapes, Van Briggle is really at home in any era. Four-point, and “Jack-in-thePulpit” vases, turquoise blue glaze. 7 inches high, 9 inches high, $30 to $40 each.
c i a l souvenir of t h i s Colorado sojourn? Once home, that purchase would find a place of honor; admiring guests would then add a Van Briggle visit to their next Colorado vacation. For travelers, Van Briggle meant a free tour. For Van Briggle, those free tours meant big bucks. Designed by Dutch architect
Picture a Van Briggle vase on a Victorian sideboard ... a Mission desk ... a Heywood Wakefield table. It fits, because it doesn’t compete. Instead, Van Briggle complements. As with any collectible on the market for over one hundred years (and counting), the older pieces are the priciest. Early Van Briggle fetches thousands; more recent, and current items, some of which replicate earlier styles in new glaze colors, breathe less rarefied air; they’re available in the low hundreds, or often less. A wide variety of valid incised Van Briggle markings (Continued on page 2)