Art Pottery

Blue Spongeware

Blue Spongeware – East Texas Pottery – Pie Plate $11.99

Bean Pot or Cookie Jar Robinson Ransbottom Blue Cobalt Spongeware Roseville Ohio $19.99

Gerald Henn Pottery Blue Spongeware 1 Quart Crock Roseville Excellent $19.99

Henn Pottery Blue Spongeware Pitcher With Hearts Excellent $14.99

Robinson Ransbottom Blue Spongeware ~ 3 Pieces $25.00

Pottery 1994 Bastine Indiana Small 4 1/2″ Plate w/ Heart Blue Spongeware $9.99

Molly Dallas Blue Spongeware Sugar Bowl with Lid Pig / Chicken $8.00

3 Henn Friendship Pottery Blue Sponge Ware Mixing Low Bowl Crock & Salad Plate $11.27

4 Henn Friendship Pottery Blue Sponge Ware Hearts Coffee Cup Mugs Jug Sugar Bowl $9.99

3 Henn Friendship Pottery Blue Sponge Ware Pie Plate Baker Baking Pan & 2 Jugs $9.99

HENN POTTERY DINNERWARE BRAND NEW SPONGEWARE [ 6 ] 10″ Dinner Plates BLUE $66.00

HENN POTTERY DINNERWARE BRAND NEW SPONGEWARE [ 6 ] IRISH Coffee Mugs BLUE $60.00

HENN POTTERY DINNERWARE BRAND NEW SPONGEWARE [ 6 ] 10″ DINNER PLATES BLUE $66.00

FP Friendship Henn Pottery Roseville Blue Red Spongeware Salt Pepper Shakers $6.99

Roseville RRP Blue Sponge Ware 1 Pint Low crock Unusual pattern? $4.95

Roseville Spongeware MUG GERALD HENN WORKSHOP BLUE HEARTS $4.95

Alpine Roseville Pottery Pitcher Spongeware Floral 6″ Blue Pink Yellow Pretty! $7.12

Hand Crafted 1981 Pottery Covered Dish Colbalt Blue Spongeware $19.99

LOT 5 Bybee Pottery KENTUCKY KY White Blue SPONGEWARE Napkin Rings HOLDERS TABLE $9.99

Classic 9″ Blue Spongeware Milk Pitcher…Original Early American $38.50

ROSEVILLE FP HENN POTTERY 2 QT CROCK BLUE SPONGEWARE $19.99

Henn Workshops Blue Spongeware 8″ Mixing Bowl $10.00

12″ x 3″ Henn Workshop Blue Spongeware Oval Casserole Divided Bowl Dish $12.00

Blue Spongeware Pottery Creamer and Open Sugar – Made in USA $9.95

Roseville Ohio Blue Spongeware Casserole Dish with Lid – Gerald E Henn $29.99

Vintage Bennington Pottery Spongeware Blue Bowl (Used/Vintage) $39.99

Vintage Blue SPONGEWARE MUG WITH Dark Blue DESIGN USA $19.99

Hand Made Pottery by Bear Blue Spongeware Tall Piece $12.00

2pc Blue Green 6″ Saucer / Desert Plates Roseville Henn Spongeware NICE $7.19

Robinson Ransbottom Blue Spongeware 1 pt. Low Jar made in Roseville Ohio U.S.A. $4.99

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Folk Art – Craft From the Past

Folk art is craft from the past – history in an object. Whenever we admire a beautifully woven basket, a perfectly carved decoy duck or an exquisitely hand sewn quilt we are appreciating articles of folk art. But what exactly does the term “folk art” mean? Simply, it was adopted in America early last century to describe works made by people who had never had any formal training in carving a decoy duck or sewing a quilt for instance. Previously terms such as “naive” or “primitive” had been used to describe such objects, but neither is as evocative as the term “folk” art – the simple, ordinary, modest art made by plain ordinary folk.

Folk art is always unique and embodies the spirit of it’s creator, comprising both decorative and utilitarian items. It is rare these days to find original items at inexpensive prices, and neither can they be found in great quantities, but from time to time beautiful folk art items can be found at car boot sales, markets and country auctions. Before industrialisation and mass-manufacturing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ordinary people hand made objects, such as decoy duck s both for decoration and for everyday use. It’s these handmade items that are so desirable to collectors today.

Painted tinware, hand-turned wooden bowls, all kinds of baskets, colorful quilts and other textiles may still be found. Spongeware Pottery – which is named from the pieces of cut sponge used to apply patterns to the pottery surface – is much harder to find in the UK than it is in the USA as a large amount of spongeware was exported to the US from the 1820s onwards.

Hunting with decoy ducks became popular in Victorian Britain, although Native Americans have a long history of using lures and carving is a tradition firmly rooted in American folk art. The finest American ducks were carved in the 1920s and 1930s, and beautiful examples are still being produced today. In top condition with original paint, a decoy duck could fetch more than $20,000 if made by one of the big names such as Elmer Crowell of Cape Cod.

Many basket weavers were farmers who made their own containers for agricultural use – look out for those bearing the initials of the farmer who made them, or stencilled details of the contents.

Rustic textiles in coarse linen and woollen cloth were woven on domestic handlooms which were often very narrow – so the pieces of cloth then had to be joined together to make larger items such as sheets and bed covers. You may find some with characteristically bold patterns in reds and blues.

Quilting, which is the quintessential American folk art technique was also carried out in Britain in the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in Wales and Northern England where keeping out the cold was so extremely important. Women used the long winter hours to apply their needlework skills to create the beautiful quilts we treasure today. Their skills crossed the Atlantic to America with the first European settlers.

Bringing these wonderful old handmade items of folk art into our homes is not just a great way of honoring the traditions of the past, but is also a way of paying tribute to the many unknown, but incredibly skilled folk who crafted them so beautifully.

About the Author

Caroline Jones lives in Devon, England and delights in visiting craft fairs and festivals to indulge her passion for collecting vintage and folk art items for her home and shop. Click Here to visit her recommended one stop shop for finding fairs, festivals, events, craft shows, art festivals, music festivals, farmers markets, and more! !