Jardiniere

Description:

Before becoming an international phenomenon, the Arts and Crafts movement began with the ideas of British artisan William Morris (1834-1896) and writer John Ruskin (1819-1900). Morris and Ruskin believed that the growth of cities isolated urban workers and that mass production negatively affected artisan crafts. They proposed to solve these issues by returning to a medieval-inspired village model where everybody participated in a community lifestyle. In the United States, artisans adapted these ideas into the studio art pottery movement. Unlike their British counterparts, who often focused predominantly on social issues and therefore made objects that incorporated Gothic and Renaissance motifs, American craftsmen developed a cohesive and novel aesthetic.

The Norse Pottery Company created this Scandinavian-styled jardiniere in 1909. Made from an oil-finished red clay, it features designs copied from an archaeological “bronze era” object from Bornholm, Denmark. The Danish potters Thorwald P.A. Samson and Louis Ipson, who founded the Norse Pottery Company in Edgarton, WI in 1903, primarily produced such Scandinavian revival pieces. One year later, the company was purchased by Arthur Washburn Wheelock. He relocated the pottery to Rockford, IL, where it stayed in production until 1913.

The discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 1738 began an international craze for classical furniture, pottery, and glass that continued into the first half of the twentieth century. Archaeological expeditions unearthed ancient artifacts from Greece to Denmark that inspired countless replicas and redesigns. Focusing on the popularity of these historical objects, the Norse Pottery Company manufactured copies of archaic bronze, iron, or stone vases. This jardiniere’s black finish with green decoration replicates ancient copper. Its three dragon-head feet and wingless dragon handles recall the mastheads on Viking ships – a clear salute to the object’s Scandinavian heritage.

The Norse Pottery Company created this Scandinavian-styled jardiniere in 1909. Made from an oil-finished red clay, it features designs copied from an archaeological “bronze era” object from Bornholm, Denmark. The Danish potters Thorwald P.A. Samson and Louis Ipson, who founded the Norse Pottery Company in Edgarton, WI in 1903, primarily produced such Scandinavian revival pieces. One year later, the company was purchased by Arthur Washburn Wheelock. He relocated the pottery to Rockford, IL, where it stayed in production until 1913.

The discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 1738 began an international craze for classical furniture, pottery, and glass that continued into the first half of the twentieth century. Archaeological expeditions unearthed ancient artifacts from Greece to Denmark that inspired countless replicas and redesigns. Focusing on the popularity of these historical objects, the Norse Pottery Company manufactured copies of archaic bronze, iron, or stone vases. This jardiniere’s black finish with green decoration replicates ancient copper. Its three dragon-head feet and wingless dragon handles recall the mastheads on Viking ships – a clear salute to the object’s Scandinavian heritage.