Early Marks of Grueby Art Pottery
William H. Grueby's career making art pottery in Boston had a relatively short run, barely more than a decade at the start of the 20th century, so his wares are especially rare. They're also desirable to collectors because of their quality, their matte glaze that was Grueby's major innovation, their design so typical of the arts and crafts movement, and their use in partnership with other great artists of the period, such as as bases for Tiffany lamps. Grueby's tile business lasted a bit longer, not necessarily using the same marks.
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Not Necessarily Marked At All
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Not all Grueby art wares were marked, especially with logos as opposed to production marks and identification of artists. These must be identified from catalogs or documented collections.
Paper Labels
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Other Grueby pieces bore small circular paper labels, alone or with the more common impressed marks and bearing approximately the same information --- "GRUEBY POTTERY" arching over the top, "BOSTON.U.S.A." fitting the bottom curve, and the little leaf/flower logo in the middle.
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Impressed or Stamped Marks
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In addition to the circular mark that matches the paper label, Ralph and Terry Kovel's 1974 classic "Collector's Guide to American Art Pottery" documents a circular impressed mark with "GRUEBY FAIENCE Co." in the top arc, as well as simple linear identifications such as GRUEBY by itself;
GRUEBY
BOSTON.MASS
and
GRUEBY POTTERY
BOSTON.U.S.A.
Artists' Signatures
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With or without other marks, many Grueby art pieces bear identification of the artists who decorated them, usually inscribed or impressed in the bottom of the unfired pot with a stamp. The Kovels list 13 marks, some as simple as Ellen R. Farrington's initials and some stylized into works of art themselves, but they also list four artists without known marks. The marks may appear anywhere on the base of a pot.
That Design in the Middle
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The circular marks, both impressed and on paper, most often are centered on a small and simple design of some kind of stylized vegetation. It could be a lotus or an artichoke, usually with three leaves showing and often with more tips showing from behind. It does have a short stem and is very arts-and-crafts, but it is not consistent.
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References
- Photo Credit pottery image by Dubravko Grakalic from Fotolia.com
