Marblehead Pottery

designed by Arthur E. Baggs
derived from a series of woodcut prints by Arthur Wesley Dow
the plaque is inscribed with a line from Sunrise, the first in a series of four poems titled Hymns of the Marshes written by Sidney Lanier in 1878-1880

Robert W. Skinner Inc., Bolton, MA, circa early 1980s
Acquired from the above by Stephen Gray, Philmont, NY
Acquired from the above by the present owner

At Home with Gustav Stickley: American Arts & Crafts from the Stephen Gray Collection, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT, October 11-January 4, 2009

Arthur Wesley Dow and American Arts and Crafts, The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, July 13-September 19, 1999
Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, IL, October 8, 1999-January 2, 2000
Blanden Memorial Art Museum, Fort Dodge, IA, July 7-October 1, 2000

Wendy Kaplan, The Art that is Life: The Arts & Crafts Movement in America, 1875-1920, Boston, 1987, p. 256 (for a related Marblehead landscape vase)
Nancy E. Green, et al., Arthur Wesley Dow:  His Art and His Influence, New York, 1999, p. 58
Jonathan Clancy and Martin Eidelberg, Beauty in Common Things:  American Arts and Crafts Pottery from the Two Red Roses Foundation, Clearwater, FL, 2008, pp. 2, 80 and 88
Judith A. Barter, ed., Apostles of Beauty: Arts and Crafts from Britain to Chicago, Chicago, 2009, p. 85

Overall in very good condition. This motto plaque has been closely examined by a ceramics expert, and also closely examined under blacklight, and there is no evidence of prior restoration. Please note that the plaque has not been inspected out of the frame, and the perimeter edges are not visible. (The plaque is secured into the frame with tiny period nails, and would require the assistance of a conservator to safely de-install it.) The plaque shows very subtle movement in the frame, presumably from expansion and contraction of the wood frame over time. There is a network of fine crazing throughout on the plaque which appears to be inherent in the making and not visually detracting from the work. With a few tiny surface imperfections to the tile, also inherent in the making. The oak frame by all accounts appears to have originated with the tile from the period. The facing exterior surfaces with some old surface scratches, abrasions and edge wear consistent with age. The side and verso of the frame with several old nail and screw holes from prior installations. The verso with a very old paper label with a handwritten transcription of the motto. The verso with two small clear glides to protect the tile back and framing against the wall. The colors of the glaze show greater nuance and sensitivity than seen in the catalogue illustration, which is slightly over saturated and dark. A superb example of this exceedingly rare Marblehead landscape motto plaque in remarkable original condition.
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.

In addition to the well-known pottery made at Marblehead, Arthur E. Baggs also produced architectural tiles, some of which were suitable for framing.  Such is the case with this rare landscape tile, designed by Baggs about 1909.  Marblehead Potteries had just separated from the original Handicraft Shops, which were founded in 1904 to provide occupational therapy for a sanatorium.  Baggs was recruited in 1905 directly from Alfred's School of Ceramics and Clayworking where he was studying under the tutelage of Charles Fergus Binns to teach patients in the pottery workshop.  By 1908 his technical production was considered first rate and his surface design much admired for its "conventionalized," abstract aesthetic.  His approach can be traced to art educator Arthur Wesley Dow whose study of Japanese art and subsequent teaching of its principles influenced generations of potters, teachers and artists.  Dow's Ipswich Summer School, only eighteen miles from Marblehead, was one of the most important schools of the Arts and Crafts period.  Though direct contact between Dow and Baggs cannot be documented, there is no escaping Dow's influence on the young potter.  This oversized tile with its poetic motto evokes the marshes of Massachusetts, filtered through an affinity for the Japanese aesthetic.

Dow's theory, based on the Japanese principles of light and dark contrast, simple line, open space, and muted colors, was disseminated through his own teaching and through his manual, Composition, first published in 1899, which simplified design into easy lessons.  One of his students, Marshall Fry, became a colleague at the Teacher's College of Columbia University.  In 1901, Fry also began teaching design at the Alfred Summer School, connecting Dow's design method with Binns' emphasis on ceramic technology.  He and several other converts, including Hugo Froelich at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, promoted Dow's ideas in publications, most notably Keramic Studio, which was available to teachers and hobbyists alike.  Baggs, Fry, Froelich and other Dow colleagues also belonged to the same professional societies and exhibited their work side-by-side.  

This landscape plaque reflects Dow's own distinctive marsh woodblock prints, as well as images from Composition and Ipswich Marshes, a series of prints published between 1901-1906 for distribution in schools.  Baggs was apparently familiar with these design sources for he used the marsh scene as a band around the shoulders of at least three known large yellow vases.  This "Marshes of Ipswich" plaque is one of only two examples known.  The other was included in the traveling exhibition, Arthur Wesley Dow and American Arts & Crafts in 1999.  The diagonal stream emphasizes distance as it slices into the flat marsh color accented by familiar haystacks.  The dark trees on the horizon balance the solid line separating the image from the rare literary motto inscribed below. Arthur Baggs obviously internalized Dow's aesthetic to produce this quintessential and rare example of a Marblehead tile.

-Marilee Boyd Meyer