Backcountry Notes

Fan vase attributed to C. C. Cole PotteryFan vases and flower baskets are two of the enduringly popular forms which emerged early in the North Carolina art pottery phenomenon.  These are wheel-turned pots which have been altered to produce shapes that are oblong when viewed from above. Difficult to make, these delicate and graceful pieces testify to the craftsmanship of their makers.

Note: Click on any image for a larger view.

Thin-walled flower basket from J. B. Cole Pottery, attributed to Nell Graves. Form N185-4" [1940 Catalog].Both fan vases and flower baskets begin as widely-flared, footed bowl forms, usually with a pedestal base.  Once the bowl form has been turned, two opposite sides are pressed inward to produce the oblong shape of the finished piece. Fan vases are pressed together more closely than are flower baskets. In the case of fan vases, the final step is to flute the edges; flower baskets are sometimes fluted on the ends, often are not, but always are given a handle.

Fan vase from J. B. Cole Pottery; "oxblood" red glaze used during the 1970sEarly North Carolina art pottery forms included utilitarian items, such as pitchers, and simple vase forms, all finished with new, colorful glazes.  The variety of forms expanded rapidly during the 1920s, driven by consumer preferences.  Certain of the new forms, such as Rebecca jugs, were popular with tourist-oriented markets, and this seems to have been the main impetus for the production of fan vases and flower baskets which are both abundant in the small and medium sizes typical of this trade.

Two flower baskets by A. R. Cole Pottery

Flower baskets appeared earlier than fan vases.  The flower-basket form probably originated in England, where there are examples of footed, shaped terra cotta pieces dating to the Victorian era. There are many North Carolina examples of baskets made in the early 1930s and some date to the 1920s. 

"Tourist pottery" flower basketThe variety of flower baskets increased over time. Six baskets ranging in size from 3-1/2 inches high to 11 inches high are pictured in the 1932 J. B. Cole catalog. The 1940 J. B. Cole catalog shows seven baskets ranging from a 1-3/4" Nell Graves miniature to an 14-inch-high form by Phil Graves.

Basket made by Phil Graves in the early 1930s. Form 243-11" [1932], G278-11" [1940].While all of the potters at J. B. Cole's Pottery made baskets, those produced by Nell Graves and Phil Graves are particularly noteworthy and are valued by collectors of vintage Cole art pottery. Nell Graves' flower baskets are remarkably delicate, thin-walled pieces. The N185 piece illustrated above has finished walls barely 3/16-inch thick. Baskets by Phil Graves are noted for their elegant forms. See James, North Carolina Art Pottery, page 26.

Polychrome-glazed fan vase attributed to Dorothy Auman, C. C. Cole PotteryFan vases appeared in the late 1930s.  There are none shown in the 1932 J. B. Cole catalog, but then three are illustrated in the 1940 J. B. Cole catalog. The pictures of vintage pieces in Everette James' North Carolina Art Pottery include at least 20 flower baskets, some dating to the 1920s, but only three fan vases, none of which can be reliably dated earlier than 1938.  The production of fan vases appears to have coincided with emergence of the Colonial Williamsburg market in the mid-1930s.

J. B. Cole pottery fan vase in green-over-white "malachite" glazeJ. B. Cole flower basket, made by Phil Graves, 1930s; white-over-green glazeSmall flower basket by Dorothy Auman, Seagrove PotteryJ. B. Cole fan vase in Colonial Cream ("Red-eye Gravy") glaze