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Viktor Schreckengost
Polo (Wall Plaque)

1930-31

About the Item

Polo (Wall Plaque) Polychromed ceramic, c. 1930-1931 Signed with the artist's initials: VS recto Cowan Pottery stamp verso References And Exhibitions: Designed by the artist while working for Cowan Pottery in 1930. One of Cowan's clients, an interior designer, requested plates decorated with different outdoor activities. Others in the series included "Swimming," "Tennis," "Golf," and "The Hunt." Condition: with the usual craquelure Size: 11 1/4 inches in diameter Industrial design democratizes high style, and Mr. Schreckengost was widely considered among the most democratic industrial designers. He made, quite literally, the stuff of life — things found routinely in homes, backyards and garages in this country and around the world. He designed bicycles for Sears and everyday china for American Limoges. He designed children’s toys and pedal cars; flashlights, furniture and fans; lawn chairs, lawn mowers and golf carts; baby walkers and artificial limbs. In 2006 Mr. Schreckengost was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the country’s highest cultural honor. His work is in the permanent collection of major museums, including the Renwick Gallery, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. Mr. Schreckengost belonged to the first great generation of American industrial designers, which included luminaries like Russel Wright, Norman Bel Geddes and Raymond Loewy. The lights of New York did, however, inspire his most famous piece, the “Jazz” bowl, commissioned by an anonymous client in 1930. Originally trained as a ceramicist, Mr. Schreckengost was then working for the Cowan Pottery Studio in Rocky River, Ohio. One day he picked up what looked like a routine order for a punch bowl with a New York theme. The client, a woman named Eleanor, was delighted with the bowl, Mr. Schreckengost learned. Her husband, Franklin, liked it too. Mrs. Roosevelt, then the first lady of New York State, ordered two more “Jazz” bowls from Mr. Schreckengost, one for her home in Hyde Park, another for a house on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington that she fully expected to occupy in 1933. Widely photographed, the “Jazz” bowls are considered signal examples of Art Deco style. In 2004 Sotheby’s sold one of the $50 bowls at auction for $254,400.
  • Creator:
    Viktor Schreckengost (1906, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1930-31
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 11.25 in (28.58 cm)Diameter: 11.25 in (28.58 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Fairlawn, OH
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: FA73281stDibs: LU14010197462

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Golf (Wall Plaque)
By Viktor Schreckengost
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Golf (Wall Plaque) Polychromed ceramic, c. 1930-1 Signed with the artist's initials: VS recto Very rare, only a few produced prior to the closure of Cowan Pottery Format: Round ceramic plate, 11 1/4 inches Designed by the artist while working for Cowan Pottery in 1930. One of Cowan's clients, an interior designer, requested plates decorated with different outdoor activities. Others in the series included "Swimming," "Tennis," "Polo," and "The Hunt." According to Henry Adams, the number of examples created was very limited due to the closing of Cowan Pottery in 1931. Very rare Condition: Good, with the usual craquelure of the glazes used. Note: Industrial design democratizes high style, and Mr. Schreckengost was widely considered among the most democratic industrial designers. He made, quite literally, the stuff of life — things found routinely in homes, backyards and garages in this country and around the world. He designed bicycles for Sears and everyday china for American Limoges. He designed children’s toys and pedal cars; flashlights, furniture and fans; lawn chairs, lawn mowers and golf carts; baby walkers and artificial limbs. In 2006 Mr. Schreckengost was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the country’s highest cultural honor. His work is in the permanent collection of major museums, including the Renwick Gallery, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. Mr. Schreckengost belonged to the first great generation of American industrial designers, which included luminaries like Russel Wright, Norman Bel Geddes and Raymond Loewy. The lights of New York...
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Man Sounding Horn (Psalm 150)
By Ben Shahn
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Man Sounding Horn (Psalm 150) Lithograph, 1969-1970 Estate signed: "Ben Shahn/by B.B. Shahn" in pencil lower center Stamped signature lower right (see photo) Signed by Mourlot Lith. in pencil lower right (see photo) Edition: 125 (67/125) see photo Psalm 150, "A Hallelujah Chorus" Published by Kennedy Graphics, Ltd., New York, NY Printed by Mourlot Graphics, Ltd., New York, NY Reference: Prescott 255 Kennedy Galleries, The Kennedy Graphics, 380, reproduced Condition: Very good Image/sheet size: 20 1/8 x 25 3/8 inches A posthumous print "This was the final project completed by Ben Shahn (1898-1969), leading American realist painter and muralist widely recognized for his socially conscious works. Born in Lithuania to Jewish parents, Shahn emigrated to the United States in 1906 and became a popular and versatile artist who worked in a variety of media and on a range of projects. His credits are as varied as assistant to muralist Diego Rivera, photographer for the Resettlement Administration (alongside the likes of Dorothea Lange and his friend, Walker Evans), maker of posters for the Office of War Information during WWII, and commercial artist for CBS. He is best known, however, for artwork depicting left-leaning political ideals and highlighting social concerns, such as his series of gouache paintings known as "The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti...
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Three Nudes in a Garden
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Mayan Trio
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Mayan Trio Lithograph, 1950 Signed in pencil lower right (see photo) Edition 250 for Associated American Artists Publsihed 1950 Reference: AAA Cat.: 1950‑05; 1958‑01 AAA Index 1087 Condition: Excellent Image size: 13 x 9 1/2 inches Francisco Dosamantes (b. October 4, 1911 - d. July 18.1986) was a Mexican artist and educator who is best known for is educational illustrations and graphic work against fascism. He was a founding member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular and the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. Life Francisco Dosamantes was born in Mexico City on October 4, 1911. His father was Daniel Dosamantes who was a builder, interior decorator and painter. He was not registered into the civil registry until he was about twenty years old on March 6, 1939. His mother’s name is not listed on the certificate. As a child, he demonstrated a strong interest in drawing and color, influenced by his father and his uncle Juan. The Mexican Revolution occurred while he was a young child and he stated that he remembered events such as soldiers on horses charging as well as the execution of rural farm workers. He attended primary and high school in Mexico City but stated that his education was irregular and deficient. He then entered the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, where he studied for five years. Initially, however, he was disappointed with the inexperience of the young professors and he left for a short time to study on his own. During this time, some of the dissatisfied professors organized the 30 30 group against the academic system of the school and which whom he sympathized. The effort gained the attention of established artists such as Diego Rivera who intervened. He died on Mexico City on July 18, 1986 Career After he graduated, he worked with the cultural missions of the Secretaría de Educación Pública in Oaxaca, Michoacán, Guerrero, Colima, Coahuila and Chihuahua (state) from 1932 to 1937 then again from 1941 to 1945. He stated that this experience was vital to his conscience as he worked with rural farm workers and others he stated were worthy of dignity and respect, but victims of deceit and exploitation. When he returned to Mexico City, he gave classes in high schools from 1937 to 1941. In 1945 he founded and directed the Taller Escuela de Dibujo y Pintura “Joaquín Claussell” in Campeche, Campeche. Dosamantes was a politically and culturally active artist with most of his work and affiliations related to such. He was a member of the Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios from 1934 to 1938. He was a founding member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular, serving as administrator in 1940 and remaining a member until his death except for one short hiatus. He created posters for conferences about fascism and Nazism such as Alemania bajo bayonetas (Germany under bayonets) in 1938. In 1940 he became the secretary general of the Sindicato de Maestros de Artes Plásticas. He was also a member of the Sociedad para el Impulso de las Artes Plásticas en 1948, a founding member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana in 1949 and a member of the Frente Nacional de Artes Plásticas from 1952. He painted a number of murals in rural areas of Mexico generally when he was there on cultural missions. His main mural is at the former home of José María Morelos in Carácuaro, Michoacán, but there are a number at various rural schools. These were all painted between 1941 and 1946. As a book illustrator he mostly worked for the Secretaría de Educación Pública working on books for literacy campaigns. He exhibited his works, which included engravings, oils, tempuras and lithographs in Mexico and abroad. His first individual exhibition was in 1930 at the Galeria de Arte Moderno in Mexico City. His major exhibitions include the Excelsior Gallery in Mexico City in 1932, various exhibitions in New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Los Angeles in 1937; the Nelson Gallery of Art in Kansas City, Missouri in late 1947, and the Gallery of Mexican Art in...
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