A Book Review: Southwestern Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni, by Allan Hayes and John Blom

Although I have a small collection of Southwestern pottery myself, I was looking for a book that could show and tell me more. I found this one, and I want to tell you about it. It is well worth the price and the space it will take in your library.

This is not a scholarly tome, nor is it an exhibit catalog. It is the pottery collection accrued by four average citizens using reasonable amounts of money to pursue a new interest. From knowing nothing to writing this book, the two couples spent a few years looking at pottery, buying some, and learning from other collectors and pottery experts. The pottery they purchased includes both modern, mostly, and some antique specimen.

The story of their pursuit makes a nice backdrop to the bulk of the book, which is pages of photographs of the pottery they now own. Each pueblo or pottery community is presented separately, with from nine to twenty pots posed together on the facing page. Some pueblos have several ages, those with long traditions of pottery, while others have only one or two photographs and accompanying text because of their dearth of pottery historically and/or in modern times.

To provide a foundation in prehistoric pottery, the book begins with pictures and descriptions of the older pottery sources, the Mogollon, Anasazi, Cibola, Hohokam, Salado, White Mountain, Hopi and Sinaqua and Casas Grande. Each of these antique types of pottery is presented in two pages, one full page color picture of the pieces the authors have purchased, and the facing page with a brief discussion of the area in which the pottery is found and what makes it different from other pottery types.

Modern pottery is then discussed in the same two page format, where the right hand page is a photograph of many pots, and the left hand page carries the discussion of the pottery pictured. Some modern pottery locations require more that a single pair of pages. If a site requires more than one set of pages, the pottery and write-up is divided by time period within modern developments, and by family of potters where strong family traditions hold sway.

The Pueblos and other settlements presented include the following, and are presented in alphabetical order:

  • Acoma
  • Casas Grande/Mata Ortiz
  • Chochiti
  • Hopi
  • Isleta
  • Jemez
  • Laguna
  • Maricopa and Pima
  • Mojave
  • Nambe
  • Navajo
  • Pojoaque
  • Sandia
  • San Felipe
  • San Ildefonso
  • San Juan
  • Santa Ana
  • Santa Clara
  • Santo Domingo
  • Taos and Picuris
  • Tesuque
  • Tohono O’odham
  • Zia
  • Zuni
  • The Others

The advantage of having the pots grouped together in photographs are several, including making the relative size of the pieces immediately obvious. It also makes it easier to see general trends in pot decoration as they are discussed on the facing page. These are not the large museum pots that require photography-in-the-round to see them properly, but pots of a size to display in one’s home. If the pots were photographed individually, the book would be much larger than the satisfying 189 pages it is.

After a brief section of definitions of the types of pottery, the authors keep their use of technical terms to a minimum. There are opening chapters about the general geographic area Southwest pottery comes from, and some discussion of the authors criteria for buying a pot. Their “rules” are quite down-to-earth, and yet the resulting collection is quite impressive. And, as the authors pointed out, pottery is one form of art that is readily available to regular people whether they live in the Southwest or not.

For those of us who do not aim to the rarefied heights of the great collections of the world, the approach for this book and the collection on which it is based is very welcome. Even people of modest means can create collections of note, and the information they discover in the process is worth writing down for someone else to understand the collection as a whole and in detail. If you want only one book on Southwest pottery, I think it should be this one.

Southwestern Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni
by Allan Hayes and John Blom
Northland Publishing
1996

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Recess

Time to take a break from porcelain collectibles to talk about the floor they hit when you drop them. Considering new flooring? Here are some pertinent.

The environmentally conscious householder needs information about the various “green” flooring varieties on offer. Is the product you are considering really green? Read this before you buy cork flooring. Or you might consider woven bamboo flooring. Heaven known bamboo grows fast enough to floor the world. There is also the possibility of installing coconut flooring. Any of these choices will last and can be used by ecologically conscientious home or apartment owners.

Remember, you house or apartment is actually part of your porcelain collection, as that is where it is displayed and is its home as well. Treat your house or apartment as you do your collections.

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Capodimonte Porcelain Value

The value of Capodimonte porcelain, like the value of any porcelain type or manufacturer of long standing, is difficult to determine. There are a number of reasons for this. Much as I would love to be able to provide you with a list of the figurines and their current values, I cannot. Here’s why:

1. Longevity of production: Capodimonte porcelain, either from the Royal Capo di Monte Porcelain Company or another, has been made for nearly three hundred years. For most of that time, records of the figures made and the numbers made of each were not kept or have been destroyed. Records from small companies using this style were probably sketchy to begin with, and if the company did not survive very long, they were thrown out. Companies achieving some success may have had better records, but they have probably not survived unless they were donated to a large museum or library. Even then, the cost of storing such records means they were probably not kept for long. Today’s manufacturer faces the same problems with their historical records, and it takes a real commitment by these companies to digitize the old paper records for the use of future generations of collectors and scholars. You have to really believe in your product to incur this kind of cost where no immediate or even long term benefit can be seen.

2. Exclusivity of design and techniques: Capodimonte, as the term is used today, is a style rather than a specific maker of porcelain figurines. Many companies from the Capo di Monte region of Italy can use the term fairly honestly, even if they are or were not affiliated with the Royal Capo di Monte Porcelain Company. And, since the style has remained popular for over two hundred years, it has many imitators. These may mark their products with a mark unlike any used by past Italian companies, but the unscrupulous use no mark or a mark similar to one of the successful Italian companies. This imitative production has been going on for so long and so widely that another classification of Capodimont has been established by collectors and dealers, Chinese Capodimonte. That does not mean that the Chinese are the only ones who have imitated Capodimonte and left their wares in question by not marking them, or that all Chinese porcelain manufacturers copy the Capodimonte with the intent of bilking collectors. Some are sufficiently proud of their version of the style to mark their pieces clearly, and if you like their take on the style, look for their mark on pieces you are considering buying. With the long run of the style, there are bound to have been honest manufacturers anywhere in the world. It is only the intent to pass off new figurines as those of the antique makers that constitutes the worst of the fraud.

3. Porcelain marks: Pieces without marks or unclear marks provide a cloud of confusion in which the porcelain dealer must tread warily when assigning value. Early manufacturers did not necessarily mark their products, or only marked those finished in-house. Blank figurines would be sold to other businesses to be finished as they saw fit, and were then marked (or not) by that company. There is also the problem of seconds, pieces that do not meet the manufacturer’s quality standards, but which are not destroyed, being sold as seconds. Any records for company production are unlikely to include seconds, as they are not considered true products of the porcelain company. These seconds may well have the manufacturer’s mark with some form of defacement to indicate the secondary quality. Porcelain marks are usually added before the last firing, and are therefore in place when the final inspection is made. Those pieces not passing inspection, if not destroyed, may have some over-mark to indicate the second quality, but as it is not fired on, it may be possible to remove the second indication. That is why one of the most important features in valuing any porcelain collectible is …

4. Quality: In the end, the quality of the modeling and painting are crucial in identifying the porcelain manufacturer and the value of the piece. The earliest figures from a new mold will be better than later figurines, as the mold deteriorates with time and use. The details are crisper on the early figurines from any single mold. Then there is the modeling of the additional parts, like flower petals and ribbons. The value of the piece depends on the competency of the person adding these parts. Finally, the painting is also a crucial part of the value in a porcelain figurine. Where the painters were allowed some leeway in the painting details, the pieces painted by some painters are more valuable than others. When the painter was allowed to mark his or her work, these marks can be used to identify the painter and the higher values assigned to pieces by the better painters. Where such marks are not used, only the experience of years can tell the evaluator who painted the figurine and which figures deserve a higher value because of the painter involved. Also, the best painters were recognized at the time and other painters within the same company would also try to copy the style, colors and techniques of the better painters, leading to more confusion if painters initials were not included in the marks on the pieces.

5. Reissue of popular or rare pieces: The same manufacturer may copy a figurine by making a new mold and copying the colors and details of the figurine in a re-issue. These are meant to allow more people to own the more desirable figurines, but also allows the unscrupulous to pass the new figurine off as the older, more valuable one. The differences the maker introduces to delineate the new model from the earlier one may not be public knowledge or readily identifiable. While re-issues are a an acknowledgment of past successes, they make the value of the original figurines that much harder to determine.

6. Damage and destruction: with porcelain, damage happens, as well as outright destruction. A figurines made in 500 pieces in year X may have been reduced to half by year X + 50, depending on the use of the figurine and its intended audience. Figurines used on desks or in kitchens, and those aimed at children will have higher destruction and damage rates. This affects the number of good figurines in existence, and therefore the value of the remaining perfect examples. This does not mean you should throw out any damaged figurines, only that restoration by a professional may increase the value of a damaged piece due to its being rarely or never found in perfect condition. This can be seen in Meissen figurines, many of which were broken in Europe through the two World Wars fought there. A perfect version of any one figurine may be so rare that even damaged ones have value.

From these considerations, you can see that collecting and valuing older porcelain pieces can be a minefield. If you are collecting on the secondary market, you should work with reputable dealers until you become sure of your own eye and knowledge. Any reputable dealer will offer some kind of money back or repurchase agreement, in writing, when you buy from them. If you are considering expensive pieces, they should come with a written valuation by a known expert that details any problems with the figurine and his or her opinion of value.

For modern products, the case is simpler. The piece will be in a limited edition, in which the total number of pieces in that design and size will be produced, at most, or one of an open edition, one that has no endpoint. A limited edition figurine should state the total number of pieces that will be produced and the number of your piece in that run. Lower numbers are better because of the mold deterioration, although new molds may be placed in production as needed by the manufacturer. I will have more to say about limited editions later.

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The Porcelain Vintage Brooch

Among the many styles of brooches from the past still floating around the secondary market, the porcelain brooch is one of the best preserved. Because of the durability of porcelain when used as jewelry, there are many porcelain brooches available from the past. Often these are smooth ovals decorated by hand painting or decals with a plethora of subjects. There are horses, dogs, cats, birds, various flowers including all the colors of roses, gilt figures in quaint old costumes and the signs of the Zodiac, just to begin with.

Flowers are a common theme on porcelain vintage brooches. You may find the smooth oval porcelain cabochon with hand-painted flowers, or with the flowers carved into it like a cameo. Porcelain readily forms petals in the hands of a master worker, so there are brooches with flowers formed of petals added individually. If you have a favorite flower, you are bound to find it on a vintage porcelain brooch at least once, but probably many times.

If some extra sparkle was required, the brooch maker surrounded the porcelain plaque with rhinestones or pearls, giving the porcelain a beautiful frame. All of this would usually be placed by a jeweler on a gold brooch base, although there are porcelain brooches in silver as well.

In the past, small portraits were painted on porcelain disks for royalty and the very highest ranks of society, and there continue to be portrait-like paintings of women on this material. Originally these portraits were mounted in jewelry and worn or collected like gemstones, which would explain the continued tradition of generic portraits on porcelain brooches. They continue to be made today on the basis of those old royal portraits from a time before photography.

For an interesting collection, there are porcelain disks painted with the word “Mother” and additional small decorations, usually flowers and ribbons. How many different brooches of this kind do you think there are?

If you are not interested in brooches, these porcelain cabochons are also made into rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets. You could collect the porcelains in these forms as well, or instead of brooches. And, if people, flowers and horses are not your style, there are designs based on geometric forms from the various styles that used this kind of decoration, including Art Deco and the Nineteen-sixties. Look for porcelain jewelry from these eras for a different style and motif set.

If you decide to look into this porcelain collectible, make sure you do a little research and begin by working with reputable antique dealers. Some of these brooches were made by names famous in the porcelain world, like Limoges and Rosenthal, but this kind of jewelry has been made for hundreds of years, so there is a lot of less illustrious makers’ pieces out there. And the brooches and other jewelry is still being made today, so you need to be sure you do not pay antique or vintage prices for a new brooch. As a matter of fact, you can acquire new porcelain jewelry in the manufacturer’s packaging, save it all and wait for the porcelains to become vintage or antiques. Buy famous names and this strategy may make yours a desirable collection in your children’s or grandchildren’s lifetimes.

More information about collecting other kinds of porcelain is available * here *.

Go to the Table of Contents to see all the topics covered so far.

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Betty Boop Figurines

Betty Boop is a well known and beloved silent cartoon character from the 1930′s. She survived the coming of sound, although she has not made the transition to color on the big screen. Although she seems to be a relict of the past, new Betty Boop merchandise appears every year. Old cartoons and movies are being released on DVD, and new fans find this character appealing. New fans require new figurines, so production never seems to end.

The Betty Boop figurines can be found in a number of forms and materials. Many of the Betty Boop figurines are bobble-heads. In some ways this is truly apropos. As the ditzy dame of her early years, a bobble-head is the perfect representation. If you can get one where the body bobbles as well, you are really on the right track. Add the scanty costumes of her early years, and you have a two-way in motion pinup girl. There are also stationary figurines of Betty Boop for the porcelain collector, showing her characteristic poses and in various costumes. With her white skin, black hair and red, red lips, she is a natural for depiction in porcelain.

With the coming of the Production Code of 1934, which regulated the content of films and cartoons, Betty underwent some sexual downgrading and intelligence upgrading. (Funny how these two traits are usually depicted in an inverse relationship, although real life will tell you different.) The figurines you see now are likely to portray Betty Boop in this revised fashion rather than the previous sexy Betty, although the market for Betty Boop figurines is probably aimed more at young adults than children. Betty’s style is too old to interest many children, unless they have only seen the merchandise aimed at them, things like pencil and lunch boxes, and which frequently only show Betty’s face.

There are Betty Boop calendars put out each year, showing Betty in an appropriate costume for the month, and there are figurines based on these illustrations as well. There are special decorative items for your kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, Betty Boop clothing and Betty Boop cosmetics. There is a line of items with Betty Boop as a nurse, predictable, and as a biker, of all things. She has changed with the times while remaining stereotyped. There are even nightshirts with Betty Boop portraying the different Zodiac signs, so you can get your other the appropriate Betty Boop to sleep in.

Betty Boop continues to have guest appearances in cartoons and movies, and her appeal does not seem to fade. Fans of her 1930′s style have many options when buying her likeness. The only limit to the Boop-ness of your abode, like almost all collectibles and literary characters, is your wallet and space. And the tolerance of those near and dear to you.

To see other Betty Boop figurines and other items, go to my squidoo lens “Betty Boop Porcelain Figurines“.

* * * Look for Betty Boop Ceramic canisters for your kitchen. * * *

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Plate Racks

Now that you have some porcelain in your collection, how do you show it off? The figurines need horizontal space for display, but, luckily, plates can be shown off in wall plate racks. Although most china cabinets have built-in features to allow you to stand the plates up at the back of the cabinet, anything in front of them obscures you view of the plates. So, a plate rack or two is the perfect solution. The plates are all clearly visible, and the horizontal space in the china cabinet is saved for figurines.

Plate racks can be made of a number of materials. Wood is popular, and you can probably get plate racks to match the furniture in the room where it will hang. There are also wrought iron, or wrought iron looking, plate racks for a more rustic look. Some metal plate racks are painted in gold and have a more elegant style, if that better fits the decor or the plates to be hung.

A plate rack will generally at least three plates, although I have seen a few that only held two. If the rack is allowed to spread beyond the diameter of the plates, a plate rack that shows off five or seven plates in a circular formation is possible. Most plate racks are meant to be hung vertically and thus take up less room or utilize narrow wall spaces. There are plate racks made to hang horizontally, allowing the rack of plates to be mounted about the china cabinet or over a door.

Plate racks are a great way to decorate a kitchen. The plates being shown off can fit with the style of the kitchen and make a positive addition to the room. I would not use limited edition plates for this purpose, although they should not be harmed y being hung in the kitchen. Still, with the grease, the better choice would be robust kitchen dinner plates or odd plates picked up over time.

When you hang your plate racks, make sure they are anchored into a stud in the wall. You do not want the nail or hook to give way and have your plates smashed on the floor. This will not make you happy. So take a little extra care on hanging the plate rack and avoid the noid.

Plate racks are not found in a particular kind of store necessarily. You will need to keep your eyes open as you go through hardware, home, craft and specialty stores and catalogs. If you see one you like, buy at least one immediately. You may not see it again. If the space you are thinking about will hold two, then buy them at once. This will prevent you from disappointment. And you are not going to see so many that you will have more racks than plates to display. Guaranteed.

Go to the Table of Contents to see all the topics covered so far.

Read more about porcelain collectibles.