Vintage Wednesday: Finding your passion.

Mama's got a new passion. I can't blame her because it's a passion of mine too. She's started collecting Van Briggle pottery - in Ming blue. And she's taught me a couple things as she's pursued this passion.

It started with the vase above (nestled among another of her collections). She knew it was Van Briggle. She liked the color. She liked the flower (a columbine). She got the vase, and started a new collection.

She found that this particular color was inspired by Chinese pottery. Founder Artus Van Briggle was interested in Chinese glazes - particularly the dead glaze process used during the Ming Dynasty. Ming blue is a color you'll see in all the decades of Van Briggle pottery. Some collectors note you can guess at the decade in which the pottery is produced by the highlights (or lack thereof) made by the darker blue overglaze.

Whether the color of the Colorado sky or inspired by ancient Chinese art, I'm sure it's inspired passion in many a collector's heart.

Vintage Wednesday: Art Pottery

I recently bought a lovely swan vase. It's got the flat glaze of many of the art pottery pieces I have, and of course I love the swan theme. The vase has no readily seen identifying marks, so I put my investigating hat on and started researching the maker.

The easiest way to identify art pottery is to look for the mark on the bottom of the piece. Most of the more popular art potteries - such as Hull, McCoy, Roseville, Haeger, Van Briggle or Hall - have either the name or a mark particular to their company. McCoy and Roseville usually scrawl their name on the bottom. Hall has their name boxed. Van Briggle has what looks like a stylized double A (for founders Artus and Anne) in a box and is also sometimes signed by the artist who made the pot. But what do you do if your piece doesn't have an identifying mark?

Sometimes you can look at the color of the clay used to make the piece. You can also turn the piece over and you'll be looking at the "foot" of the piece. Some companies completely glaze the foot, but others leave a ring that's unglazed - this can be an identifying clue. Another clue could be the type of glaze used. Some companies have colors specific to their line that become familiar as you begin to see a number of pieces from that company. Sometimes the lines of the piece shout the maker - I especially this is true with Roseville or Van Briggle pieces.

There are a multitude of books available to help you identify art pottery, but I've found a good Internet search can help you narrow your identification. So that's what I did by searching "swan vase." Interestingly, there are several swan vases available from at least 8 different makers. Looking through the photos of these pieces, I found several confirming that my vase is a Haeger piece, possibly from the late 30s or early 40s. I'd have to go look in a Haeger book to be sure, but it makes sense given the glaze and look of the piece. Too bad Sherlock Holmes didn't have the Internet!

Vintage Wednesday: Van Briggle Pottery

There's a bevy of collectors who concentrate on what's generally known as "art pottery." This is a type of pottery that generally arose out of the arts and crafts period and often has natural motifs incorporated into the design. Among collectors, there are often favorite producers - you may have heard of Roseville or Weller. Probably the most recognizable and prolific of art potteries is McCoy pottery. Have you heard of something being "the real McCoy"? Well, many people say this is the root.

My favorite art pottery, however, is Van Briggle pottery. There's something about the shapes and the glazes (that give them color) that appeals to me. I love the long "art nouveau" lines of many of the pieces. And there are still artists producing original pieces in the pottery today.

The pottery was started in 1899 by a husband and wife, Artus and Anne Van Briggle, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There's still a pottery with a showroom you can visit there. Many of the original designs are still produced today and they intend to begin reproducing some amazing decorative tiles if you're a fan of arts and crafts design.

And how do you tell it's a Van Briggle? Well, they're marked. If you turn them over, you'll usually find the double A mark along with the notation Van Briggle. Sometimes - depending on the date of the piece - you'll see Colo Spgs (or Colorado Springs), sometimes the piece will be dated and sometimes U.S.A. will be included.

But for me, it's often the shape and the glaze that gives a Van Briggle piece away. There's an old adage, "You'll know it when you see it." Given my love for Van Briggle, this is certainly true for me!