Rookwood Pottery Artists
Many beginning Rookwood Pottery collectors ask who are the most popular or desirable artists and how much of a price premium is placed on vases decorated by "sought-after" decorators versus "average" artists. While collector and market opinions will always vary, Anita Ellis' Rookwood Pottery - The Glaze Lines book provides a useful starting point for Rookwood pottery collectors.
Ellis' book provides a ranked Rookwood pottery decorator's list. The list divides Rookwood decorators into four catagories (A through D). Category A is Rookwood artists with the greatest collector interest. Ellis estimates that with other considerations such as condition, size, and quality being equal, a Rookwood vase decorated by an "A" level decorator may be valued 100 to 200% higher than a vase decorated by a "C" level artist. Rookwood pottery artists who Ellis ranks as "A" level include:
- Matthew Daly
- Henry Farny
- Maria Nichols
- Elizabeth Nourse
- Sara Sax
- Carl Schmidt
- Kataro Shirayamadani
- Maria Storer
- Albert Valentein
- Artus Van Briggle
Hello, I just received a rookwood statue. I believe it is Jesus. It is dated 1947 with the initials c z. I believe this is for Clotilda Zanetta per the mark book. What catagory does she fit into. The statue is in brown and Jesus has his hands across his chest and wearing a hood and long robe. All done in brown. Jim
Posted by: james miller | February 23, 2008 at 12:35 PM
About 40 years ago I purchased a Rookwood pot with an incised dragon on it. The Rookwood mark indicated it was made in 1886. It was signed KS and a S. The work was a typical dragon like other work I have seen over the years done by Sheri. About the same time. I read a booklet from the Rookwood Pottery stating that when Sheri started work at the pottery in 1886 he used KS on the bottom of his pots for a very short time. He was then encouraged by his fellow decorators to mark his pots with the Japanese cypers. As we all know he changed back to KS at the start of WW2. I have been told my pot is a fake by well known people in the Art Pottery business. because of the KS with the Rookwood date of 1886 marking. Forty years ago no one was faking Rookwood Pottery, and selling it for $125.00. I have tried in vain to find the booklet that was published by Roodwood Pottery. One of the Rookwood artist wrote the booklet Has any one elese read this booklet? When Sheri started with Rookwood what did his first pots look like? Do you think they were the same as everyone elese was making in 1886. I don't think so. Photo of the pot on request.
Posted by: Ed Sutton | April 02, 2009 at 02:44 PM