Viktor Schreckengost

Mrs. Raymond Treuil, New York, 1948
Thence by descent

The Cowan Potters, Inc., March 17, 1931, p. 2
Alastair Duncan, American Art Deco, New York, 1986, p. 117
Richard Guy Wilson, Dianne H. Pilgrim and Dickran Tashjian, The Machine Age in America, 1918-1941, New York, 1986. p. 291
Janet Kardon, ed., Craft in the Machine Age, 1920-1945: The History of Twentieth-Century American Craft, New York, 1995, p. 55
Karen McCready, Art Deco & Modernist Ceramics, London, 1995, p. 115
Henry Adams, Viktor Schreckengost and 20th-Century Design, Cleveland, 2000, cover and pp. xviii and 88-95

Generally good overall condition. The bowl has undergone very sensitive restoration that is not overtly aparent to the naked eye. There is a seven inch restored crack that runs from the rim diagonally to the right frame of the "JAZZ" circular motif. This crack is met by another crack that runs six inches down from the rim. There is carefully matched inpainting along the cracks and overpainting to the rim, exterior and interior to mask the restoration and any associated fill to chips. Due to the connection of the two cracks and the associated repairs it is possible that this piece may have been out. There is a five inch crack that runs from the rim just to the left of the utmost lantern and changes direction, running across the center lantern and terminating in the third. As with the other repair there appears to be a restored rim chip and all restorations were carefully painted to the rim, interior and exterior of the bowl. There is a two inch crack originating at the E in "ICE" and running down into the waves to the left of the boat. As with the other repairs there appears to be a restored rim chip and all restorations we carefully painted to the rim, interior and exterior of the bowl.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Just a few months after joining Cowan Pottery in 1930, Viktor Schreckengost was randomly assigned the task to design a punch bowl displaying a "New Yorkish" theme for a woman in New York City. Unbeknownst to Schreckengost, the woman who commissioned the punch bowl was Eleanor Roosevelt. Upon receiving the finished bowl, Mrs. Roosevelt was so pleased that she commissioned Cowan to produce two additional examples, one for her home in Hyde Park and the second to present to her husband upon winning the upcoming presidential election. Cowan subsequently put the punch bowl into production, and according to Schreckengost approximately 25 to 30 examples of these parabolic straight-sided bowls were produced. To correct firing difficulties encountered with the first series, Schreckengost designed a second variant which incorporated a flared rim. The firm also offered a third and smaller variant nicknamed the "poor man's bowl" which was significantly cheaper to produce since it incorporated a more simple decorating technique. The "Jazz" bowl presently offered comes from Cowan's first production cycle. The purity of form achieved by the bowl's uninterrupted straight walls distinguishes this early model as the most dramatic and powerful of Schreckengost's three designs.