Three earthenware vessels in different glazes
USA, ca. 1895
George Edgar Ohr (1857-1918) – Early American ceramic artist
Each signature and location debossed on underside
In various natural tone glazes with whimsical shapes and motifs
Largest dimensions: 3 x 9 ¾ x 7 in. (7.6 x 24.8 x 17.8 cm)
Very good condition
Provenance: private collection, NYC.
Estimate: $1,000-$2,000

Ohr was born to German immigrant parents in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1857.

As a young man tried his hand at several trades until finally settling on ceramics. A visionary figure in this pursuit, he was known as the ‘Mad Potter of Biloxi’. In 1894, he suffered a set back in production when his workshop was destroyed by a fire. The ceramic works he rescued from the rubble he later called his ‘mud babies’. Ohr created well over 10,000 known pots in his lifetime. The pieces that survive today are wonderfully crafted works. This heralded predecessor has at one time or another inspired many of the ceramic contemporary artists working today. In this lot we offer an eclectic set of three works, two glazed cups with modern style circular finger handle holes and one glazed pot on saucer with snaking animated alligator like creature.

George Edgar Ohr (American, 1857-1918)

Self-proclaimed ‘Mad Potter of Biloxi,’ Mississippi artist George Ohr prefigured Abstract Expressionism in pottery by nearly half a century. A quintessential art potter, he dug his own clay, exquisitely formed his own pots on the wheel, developed his own glazes, and fired his own kiln. Trained by his father in blacksmithing, it wasn’t until 1879 when he was invited to New Orleans to study

traditional pottery techniques that his time working with ceramics began. Known especially for his unique ability to create very thin-walled vases on a potter’s wheel and his various techniques for creating unique shapes, every Ohr piece clearly embodies his technical prowess, with the thinness and tight control that he is renowned for, even as he took perfectly thrown vessels and folded and pinched them into what has become known as his signature style. George Ohr’s relatively short career as a ceramicist ended around 1908, at which point he stored thousands of his unsold works in the attic of his former studio. Not until 1969 when an antique dealer discovered the trove of Ohr pieces did his work start to become known on a broad scale, posthumously launching his career and drawing more attention to turn of the century American art and design history.

Condition

In overall very good condition.

Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance.