1901 Rookwood "Big Bow" Vase by Grace Young
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GUEST:
Well, this belonged to my grandfather. He lived in Salt Lake City and was a history buff. He particularly was interested in Western history, and this vase was part of his collection of items, and it was on his mantel in his house for years and years. I know it's a Rookwood Pottery vase, manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio.
APPRAISER:
Well, we do have a Rookwood Pottery vase here, made in 1901. Do you know anything about the figure on the front of it?
GUEST:
I don't know anything about him.
APPRAISER:
The Native American Indian chief on the front is Big Bow. He was a Kiowa Indian. And if you look here, there is the Rookwood mark up at the top, and the mark with a "1" for "1901." There is "Big Bow, Kiowa." And then we have the artist's signature inscription there. And the artist was Grace Young, and she did a number of Native American portrait vases for Rookwood. Now, we also have this "X" here on the bottom, which means it was a second by the Rookwood Pottery, and it wasn't a piece that they thought was suitable for their main showroom, due to some flaw in the manufacturing of it. Now, these portraits that Rookwood did-- and they did, not a series of them, but they did a large number of them-- they didn't do it from live sittings. They did it from photographs. This one is likely from a group of photos that Rookwood requested that the Smithsonian provide to them. Now, have you had this appraised before?
GUEST:
My mother took it in to someone in San Francisco years ago, maybe 25, 30 years ago, and I believe it was about $700.
APPRAISER:
The fact that it is a second will affect the value some, but not significantly. A conservative auction estimate would be between $6,000 and $9,000.
GUEST:
Oh... my goodness. $6,000 and $9,000? Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
Conservatively.
GUEST:
Wow, that's amazing.
Appraisal Details
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