RERAMIC STUDIO 
193 
FIREPLACE AND MANTEL-ROOKWOOD 
LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION CERAMICS 
ROOKWOOD POTTERY. 
THE short intervening time between the Pan-American and 
the Louisiana Purchase Expositions has been sufficient 
to see spring into existence a flock of imitating potters hke 
mushrooms after a rain. These are copying either Rookwood 
or Grueb3^ with more or less success but still these names of 
national renown remain preeminent and it will take something 
more than imitation to throw them into the shade. 
Even this short space of three years has brought new 
developments in the art of Rookwood. Not only has their mat 
glaze, used in combinations with indianesque designs, been 
improved in texture and applied most successfully to tile and 
other architectural effects, but a new mat glaze has been de- 
veloped which admits of painting in underglaze on the biscuit. 
Through this mat glaze, called "vellum," the painting in all 
its exquisite details and subtle shades is seen as through a fine 
ground glass, the surface lieing absolutely without gloss. 
Technicallj^ it would seem that the mat glaze on potterj^ could 
develop no further. As Rookwood never stands still, we may 
then look for developments in unexpected quarters when next 
it appears before the public with a "tour de force." For 
ourselves, though we admire the technique of these mat effects, 
we regret that the real excellence of the work executed in the 
more brilliant glazes should rather be overshadowed by the pre- 
vailing "fad.'' In the Rookwood exhibit at the Exposition, a 
number of fine examples of these brilliant glazes still held the 
lead artistically, notably some pieces designed by E. T. 
Hurley, a large vase in an exquisite shade of yellow or rather 
yellow brown with a flock of geese in white, and another vase 
shaded from a cream tone to a grey blue with dark grey blue 
and olive toned fish. A vase in white dogwood blossom light 
yellow at the top and, back of the design, black shading to a 
soft toned blue, signed J. D. W., was also most successful, as 
well as a lamp in greens with bird decoration by the Japanese 
artist 
Perhaps the most attractive work in the mat glazes com- 
bined with straight line or indianesque ornament, was from the 
designs of E. T. Hurley and H. D. Wilcox. A lamp in yellow- 
browns with a variant of the greek fret design, by the latter 
artist, was particularly attractive. 
Man3^ of the Rookwood artists were represented in the 
Art Palace as well as in the regular exhibit in the Varied In- 
dustries building. Matt A. Daly, Edw. Diers, E. T. Hurley, 
Sturgis Lawrence, Latn-a Lindeman, Marianna Mitchell, Fred 
Rothenbusch,Sallie Toohe3^ Harriet E. Wilcox, were all honored 
by selections from their work bj' the jur^". The work of Miss 
Toohey deserves special mention for the originality and bold- 
VASES— ROOKWOOD POTTERY 
