|
Roseville
Pottery began with the 1892 acquisition of the
J. B. Owens company, which had been founded
in 1885 in Roseville, Ohio, by a group of Ohio
businessmen including George Young, C. F. Allison,
and several other Zanesville, Ohio businessmen.
Many Roseville lines were a response to the
innovations of Weller Pottery, and in 1904 Frederick
Rhead was hired away from Weller as artistic
director and created the Olympic and Della Robbia
lines. During these times, Roseville made quality
art pottery but was viewed as more of a mid
tier line, reproducing the techniques of others
for a wider market. However, it was Frank Ferrel,
who served as Roseville artistic director from
1917 until 1954, who created many of the most
popular and memorable lines including Pine Cone,
and in 1918 at the end of World War I the "Roseville
U.S.A." mark was first used. The Pine Cone line
alone had over 70 individual pieces to collect,
and colors included the most common green as
well as lesser seen brown and blue. Floral lines
were diverse and always popular, including Dogwood,
Iris, Sunflower, Wisteria, Peony, Apple Blossom,
Clematis, Bleeding Heart, Blackberry, and many
more. Also, Roseville produced a fascinating
variety of pieces including bowls, vases, wall
pockets, jardinieres and stands, candlesticks,
ewers, bookends, and more! There are many new
and unknown patterns listed and pictured with
over 400 full color photos and over 500 Roseville
Pottery items showing all of the known patterns
made. Several other people have produced excellent
books but none as complete as Jack & Nancy Bomm's,
who researched Roseville In All Its Splendor
for over 5 years. They managed to access and
photograph a nearly complete collection of Rosevile's
catalogue pages which even reveal the item number
(get a magnifying glass) of each displayed piece.
|
