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The Potteries of New England, Part IV: Grueby

© Barbara Nicholson Bell

W. H. Grueby was working for the J. & J. G. Low Art Tile Company in Chelsea, Massachusetts when he visited the 1893 Columbian Exhibition. There he became fascinated by the new matte glazes introduced by the French, and by the simple forms presented by Japanese ceramic designers. Although he formed the Grueby-Faience Company in Revere, Massachusetts in 1894 with William Graves, the company at first made only architectural faience such as tiles, glazed bricks, etc. After several years of experimenting privately, Mr. Grueby introduced a line of art pottery with matte glazes in 1897-8, in colors not previously seen in American art pottery. Grueby made the glazes and both George Kendrick and later William Graves made the forms.Their unique glazes and shapes earned medals in Paris, St. Petersburg and St. Louis.

The pieces were hand-formed and were decorated with freehand flower and leaf designs on which the veining was actually formed from a thin piece of clay. "Cucumber" green, also characterized as the color of watermelon rind, became the most successful of the matte glazes, but other colors such as green, pink, aqua, and yellow were introduced in the new glazes. The green, however, became the most popular color and was widely imitated by other companies such as Hampshire, Van Briggle, Teco and Rookwood.

In fact, such competition led to a flooding of the market with green glazed, heavy pottery just at the time the Arts and Crafts movement was coming to an end. This led to financial difficulties, and the pottery declared bankruptcy in 1909. It was reorganized and divided into a marketing division and a production company. They continued to offer limited production runs of ceramic pottery and statuary until 1911. The pottery burned in 1913, but was rebuilt to manufacture architectural tiles, which it did for another few years.

All the artware was thrown using clay from New Jersey and Martha's Vineyard. This being the same clay used for their architectural tiles, the ware was coarse and heavy. The shapes depended not on delicacy, intricacy or elaborateness, but rather on integrity and contour. This may have been due to the fact that William Graves was an architect, and George Kendrick was a designer and craftsman known for his work in brass and silver.

Grueby pottery was particularly handsome and seemed a perfect match for the Arts and Crafts-era homes which were springing up all over the country. Such hallmark companies as Stickley and Tiffany often utilized Grueby pottery in their catalogs and showrooms. Grueby also made lamp bases for Tiffany and other companies. The natural forms drawn from plant life complemented the solid, Mission styles of furniture, as well as the organic-themed stained glass of the Tiffany lamp.

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