Union Porcelain Works Pieces, ca. 1879
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GUEST:
They belonged to my grandmother, and my father gave them to me.
APPRAISER:
Do you like these pieces?
GUEST:
I do, I love them. I love the turtle and I love the frog.
APPRAISER:
They're really colorful and very interesting.
GUEST:
They... Yes, they are. And they were on my grandmother's mantel ever since I was a little girl, I could remember.
APPRAISER:
So both these pieces were made by Union Porcelain Works in Greenpoint in Brooklyn, New York. They both date from approximately 1879, which makes them early in the production of porcelain in the United States. There are examples just like these that are white, only porcelain body. Both of these are polychromed, which makes them special. One of the people most responsible for creating these pieces was Karl Müller, who was a German, well-trained in Germany as a sculptor, and he is the man who is given credit for making these pieces. And both of these guys are leaning on a pitcher plant, which is an unusual thing that apparently grew in the area of Union Porcelain Works. We will show the marks on the bottom. Just the "UPW" for Union Porcelain Works in, in black slip. And Mr. Turtle has a little more elaborate mark, which simply says "Union Porcelain Works, Greenpoint, New York." We've got a couple of things going for us that are important. The fact that both of these are polychromed and they're very early part of American porcelain history, and they're just cute as they can be. I would say in an auction setting, Mr. Frog would probably bring somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500. The turtle, more-- maybe in the $1,200 to $1,500, $1,500 to $2,000 range. So they're very special and they're very nice.
GUEST:
Wow, that's great.
APPRAISER:
You still like 'em?
GUEST:
I love 'em, I really do love 'em. And I'll keep them, and remember my grandma.
APPRAISER:
They are sweet.
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