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Design attributed to George Prentiss Kendrick
American, 1850–1919
Decoration attributed to Eva Russell
American, active c. 1905
Grueby Faience Company
Boston, Massachusetts, 1894–1909
Vase, 1903/09
Glazed earthenware
37.5 x 20.3 x 20.3 cm (14 3/4 x 8 x 8 in.)
Impressed on bottom in circle with centered lotus blossom: GRUEBY•POTTERY / BOSTON • U•S•A; 5/25; and the initials ER
Restricted gift of the Antiquarian Society; through prior acquisition of the B. F. Ferguson Fund; Skinner Sales Proceeds Fund; Wesley M. Dixon, Jr., and Roger and J. Peter McCormick Endowment; through prior acquisition of the Antiquarian Society; Goodman, Simeon B. Williams, Harriet A. Fox, and Wendel Fentress Ott Endowment; Highland Park Community Associates; Charles R. and Janice Feldstein Endowment Fund for Decorative Arts, 2008.558
Inspired by the French earthenware at Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, William H. Greuby established his own firm in Boston the following year. By 1900, under the direction of George Prentiss Kendrick, Greuby Faience Company specialized in producing earthenware in solid shapes based on Asian precedents in a small spectrum of matte colors with elegant applied decoration. The color, shape, and symmetrical arrangement of daffodils on this vase evoke Japanese elements that Kendrick would have recognized through his involvement with the Boston Society of Art and Crafts. The beauty of Kendrick's designs—along with the laborious handcrafting—made Grueby among the most popular pottery in the country. Unfortunately, Greuby's devotion to time-consuming applied decoration led to the company's demise.
— Permanent collection label
Exhibition, Publication and Ownership Histories
Exhibition History
Art Institute of Chicago, "Apostles of Beauty: Arts and Crafts from Britain to Chicago," November 7, 2009-January 31, 2010, cat. 57.
Publication History
Annual Report (Art Institute of Chicago, 2008-09), p.16.
Brandon K. Ruud, "Notable Acquisitions at the Art Institute of Chicago," Museum Studies 35, 2 (Art Institute of Chicago, 2009) pp. 16-17 (ill.).
Ownership History
Jordan Volpe Gallery, by early 1980s; West Coast Private Collection; Gregg Seibert, Bernardsville, N. J., c. 1999; sold to the Art Institute
