I had an extremely interesting time at the AAPA Pottery Show and Sale at the Neatherland Hilton Hotel in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio this Saturday morning.
The packed Pavilion Room was a visual treat with a dazzling array of Art Pottery and Tiles for inspection and sale first to AAPA members and then to the general public.
The booth that drew my particular interest was the one by Wendy Harvey and Sandie Fowler the authors of Art Nouveau Tiles ca. 1890-1914 and owners of Antique Articles in Bellerica, Massachusetts. Wendy and Sandie’s tile book is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in European and American Art Tile.
It can be found in most libraries and at Amazon.com.
The tile ladies, as some refer to them, had a large selection of superb tiles for any maven’s perusal.

Relief Portrait, American Indian
by Herman Mueller

An unusual AETCo relief portrait tile of an American Indian ensnared this casual booth stroller. The beautiful relief tile bearing Herman Mueller initials is for sale at almost $4,000 and, needless to say, will occupy my waking thoughts for the next few months. The photograph doesn’t do the glaze color any favors. While the glaze is green it appears much softer to the eye than the similar color captured by the camera. Wendy and Sandie had many other beautiful large tile examples including a very unusual polychrome tropical Rookwood faience tile, a marked Hamilton Tile of dancing cherubs under a green glaze and a fantastic USETCo (United States Encaustic Tile Company) of trolls bowling under a brown glaze.

AETCo., Governor Foraker, approx 1897

I was able to make their cash register ring with the purchase of this blue-glazed 3 inch diameter disc showing the intaglio portrait of a gentleman, the words “The Foraker Club Zanesville, Ohio” and the initial cipher of Christian Nelson above the upper right shoulder of the portrait. The portrait shows Ohio Governor and Republican US Senator Joseph B. Foraker.
The disc was most likely made for his successful Senate run in 1897 and is fully marked as being AETCo. The initials for Christian Nelson place the disc after 1894.
I really enjoyed meeting Wendy and Sandie and I hope I can have the benefit of their expertise in the future.
The most expensive piece I noticed for sale in the Pottery Show, and trust me when I say there were many lovely things for sale, was an extremely large Rookwood landscape vase selling at almost $19,000!


- posted by Sean @ 3:34 PM