Our favorite new pieces from Rookwood Pottery

The resurgence of Rookwood Pottery Company is now well known. The company was formed more than a 100 years ago, and over time it gained a worldwide reputation for impeccable design and craftsmanship.

Like many businesses, it succumbed to the shifting sands of the United States’ economy in the middle of the 20th century. Yet in 2004, a passionate group of investors led by Dr. Art Townley committed themselves to the restoration of the brand in Cincinnati, the city of its birth. Its reputation for design and craftsmanship revived, Rookwood Pottery Company is now thriving amidst the bustling streets of Over-the-Rhine, producing quality artisan products that appeal to designers, architects, businesses and homeowners all over the city.

The quality of Rookwood Pottery Company’s products extends from its team of celebrated artists and their extraordinary attention to detail. The products are created from a unique synergy of the company’s glaze chemists and artists. The results are unique, florid and outstandingly beautiful.

For example, the Abel Bears (above) are adorable ursine figurines whose slouching postures exude playfulness, even jollity. Originally created by artist Louise Abel in 1934, the bears were revived in 2014. Each piece is decorated by hand, so no two are exactly alike. They might adorn a mantle, bookshelf or a bedside table.

The wishbones (right) are 15-inch ceramic pieces sure to attract attention at your home or office. Few other things exist in that shape, making the wishbone’s presence bold and interesting on a plain backdrop. They are the sort of effortless aesthetic flourishes that can make a space that was once mundane alluring.

The Tadpoles and Dragonflies tile set (left) and vase (top) are beautiful. The work, also made by Dutton, reflects his preoccupation with the summer days of his youth, which were “spent playing along (and very often in) the branches and ponds of my someplace, an old farm where I still live. I think I felt some kinship as a child with the tadpoles and dragonflies,” he says. “After all, tadpoles are a symbol of metamorphoses, magically growing legs to hop out into a new world.”

The case of Rookwood Pottery Company is not very different. It underwent a metamorphosis as well, a process of dramatic and lasting transformation. Luckily, having gone through that process, the company is now on firm footing in Over-the-Rhine, producing pieces of art that will stand the test of time in terms of their longevity as well as their majesty. 

The Rookwood Pottery Company Factory and Showroom is located at 1920 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. You can reach them at 513.381.2510 or visit their website at www.rookwood.com.

The Rookwood Pottery Company Store is located at 1209 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. You can reach them at 513.579.1209 or by email at sales@rookwood.com.