20th-Century Pewabic Pottery & Painting
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APPRAISER:
My mother was very good friends with Ella Peters, who was Mrs. Stratton's bookkeeper for at least 30 years.
HOST: And Mrs. Stratton was?
GUEST:
The founder of Pewabic Pottery. My mother used to go down to the pottery in the '30s and '40s and buy a lot of pieces. And she toted me with her because I was preschool. And then the pottery just sort of made its way to my house over the years.
APPRAISER:
You have pieces with some unusual marks. I want to ask about those. This one over here says, "Elisabeth Christmas."
GUEST:
Yes, my... Ella's husband was Ira, I called him Uncle Ira, and he worked at the pottery in the '60s. And so he made pieces and used to give them to me.
APPRAISER:
And this one also I found really unusual.
GUEST:
This one is marked with Mr. Stratton's initials. And my mother thought that that one was probably worth something because Mr. Stratton had made it.
APPRAISER:
I didn't even know he potted.
GUEST:
That's all I know.
APPRAISER:
You have a really, really fun mix of pieces here too. It's somewhat of an academic collection and a very esoteric collection of a rather esoteric pottery. You asked me earlier do people outside of Detroit know about Pewabic Pottery? We do.
GUEST:
Well, that's good to know. I was really hoping that it was known outside of Detroit, but I've never known anyone who ever heard of it.
APPRAISER:
Well, they were primarily known for their luster glazes, which the three pieces and the small pin-- the piece of jewelry there with a rabbit-- those are typical glazes for Pewabic. What I like about the collection is you have a good mix of those, but you also have some things that aren't typical luster glaze pieces. This plate, for example, this has an earlier mark. I want to show that. This has an early block stamp mark, which dates it probably to around 1910 or so. And it's reminiscent of the Dedham pottery ware with the bunny rabbits on it. But unlike that, which is sort of pressed and mass-produced, hese are all individually squeeze bag and decorated rabbits. I also like that you have a Mary Chase Perry painting. We really don't see that. Tell us about this, would you, please?
GUEST:
Well, I didn't know anything about it. I have several of them. My mother just acquired them from Mrs. Stratton, and I had no idea whether they were as important as her pottery. I don't know anything about it.
APPRAISER:
It's good to see how talented art pottery artists were in different media. And this is a fairly accomplished watercolor, really one of the better works I've seen by a pottery artist. Some pottery artists couldn't paint, they couldn't draw a straight line, but somehow they got their hands on clay and magic appeared. These pieces are from different periods. This plate, as I said, is about 1910. This vase is probably teens or '20s. The pin is probably from the '20s or '30s. They're never dated. So you can go by the markings. This one... I shouldn't say never dated. I haven't seen dated ones. This one's dated '66? And roughly when was this one made?
GUEST:
Well, I'm guessing probably 1910-ish?
APPRAISER:
That's great. So a handmade piece by Mrs. Stratton's husband with incised decoration. Let's talk about values. So we'll start with the pin. Fun piece, easily between $500 and $750 for the pin. The candlestick holder, also between $500 and $750. It's late and it's not a particularly useful form these days, but it's personal and that's fun. I think that does add something to the value. The bunny rabbit plate about $1,500 is what they sell for. These prices, by the way, are what these would sell for at auction. The Pewabic bulbous vase with a really good glaze, by the way, nice secondary and tertiary coloring on this and a good nacreous luster. I'd say that one about $1,250 to $1,750. Now we're getting into a little bit of guesswork. If you're a Pewabic collector, I think you'd want one of these. This is really very special. I don't see this selling for any less than $2,000 to $3,000. And again, if I was a Pewabic collector, I'd want a piece done by Mary Chase Perry. I'd say it's got to be $1,500 to $2,000. It has to be.
GUEST:
I am astounded.
APPRAISER:
No, it's really a beautiful and intelligent assortment you've put together.
GUEST:
Thank you very much.
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