On Wednesday, November 10, 2021, Toomey & Co. Auctioneers will hold a Rookwood & Ohio Art Pottery sale curated by Director of Ceramics Riley Humler with 424 lots total, including vases, bowls, pitchers, lamps, figural works, scenic plaques, and more by distinguished artists and makers. This will mark the second auction at Toomey & Co. dedicated solely to art pottery. During Keramics & Rookwood: American & European Art Pottery on June 17, 2021, which Riley Humler also curated, 413 lots had a 97% sell-through rate and combined to realize nearly $700,000.

Highlights of Rookwood & Ohio Art Pottery on November 10

Rookwood Pottery

On November 10, multiple works by Rookwood Pottery founder Maria Longworth Nichols Storer will be featured, such as a monumental Limoges style earthenware vase with an applied squeeze bag net holding fish, a shark, octopi, and a crab (estimate $7,000-9,000). The sale also has many Kataro Shirayamadani examples, like an earthenware Vellum glaze plaque with a full moon over a lake seen between birch trees, an unusual Vellum glaze vase with five large swimming fish and seaweed, and a rare Black Iris glaze vase with painted and electroplated silver dandelions (highest $7,000-9,000). Other Rookwood highlights include Sara Sax’s French Red glaze bowl and Fred Rothenbusch’s rare Standard Glaze vase with tall grass, yellow irises, and a Gorham silver overlay of a golfer and caddy (higher $5,000-7,000). Early 20th century prints of Cincinnati and Chicago by E.T. Hurley are available plus an assortment of Hurley pottery items, for instance, an attractive Vellum glaze vase with trees, a stream, hills, and a vibrant pink sky (highest $2,000-3,000).

Ohio Art Pottery

From Weller Pottery Co., the sale has vases by Mae Timberlake as well as her rare and important earthenware Hudson six-tile tableau featuring the original Weller Pottery, as it appeared in 1872 ($10,000-20,000). Celebrated industrial designer and ceramic artist Viktor Schreckengost is well represented in the auction, with an earthenware lidded vessel, Mr. Cup Head, 1929, which he produced while training at Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna, a fall landscape watercolor, and a plaid decorative plate for Cowan Pottery (highest $7,000-9,000). Another charming Cowan work on offer is a polychromed earthenware figure of a “Mexican Flower Vendor” designed by Francis Luis Mora ($1,000-2,000). The sale also includes a range of vases by Wheatley Pottery Co. founder Thomas J. Wheatley (highest $1,000-2,000).

Preview and Bidding with Toomey & Co. Auctioneers

Rookwood & Ohio Art Pottery on Wednesday, November 10 will start at 10:00 a.m. Central Standard Time. The sale will be held at Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, 818 North Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois. Preview runs weekdays Wednesday, November 3 through Tuesday, November 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Those who wish to preview or attend the auction must make an appointment by emailing info@toomeyco.com; virtual preview may also be requested. Clients are required to wear masks on the premises regardless of vaccination status. Bidders may also participate by phone (708-383-5234) or leave absentee bids (info@toomeyco.com). The catalog is posted online at toomeyco.com and early registration is recommended. Alternatively, bids may be placed via two real-time, third-party platforms (LiveAuctioneers and Invaluable). 

Upcoming Auctions and Consignments

Toomey & Co. Auctioneers has two more auctions remaining in 2021: Jewelry, Silver & Objects of Vertu on Thursday, November 11 and Art & Design on Thursday, December 2. Consignments are invited for upcoming sales and photographs of items may be sent to info@toomeyco.com for estimates. To learn more about past or future auctions, please visit toomeyco.com.

About Toomey & Co. Auctioneers

Located just west of Chicago in Oak Park, Illinois, Toomey & Co. Auctioneers holds several carefully curated auctions annually with material sourced from six departments: Fine Art, Early 20th Century Design, Modern Design, Fine Furniture & Decorative Arts, Silver & Objects of Vertu, and Fine Jewelry & Timepieces. Recent schedules have presented single-owner and special sales drawn from important estates and private collections.