“Cowan Pottery Shines Above the Rest” Daryle Lambert

Cowan Jazz Bowl - Thanks to www.artknowledgenews.com

My last two blogs have come from Leslie Pina's book “Pottery Modern Wares 1920 -1960.” They covered Glidden and Carlton wares but the pottery featured in the book is Cowan. I have written about this company before but I thought it might be good to update the information on this wonderful company.

R. Guy Cowan is described as “the man most responsible for the introduction and fostering of ceramic art in this country.” As an employer, Mr. Cowan mentored some of the greatest ceramic artists of all times. Cowan settled in Cleveland, Ohio to start his first studio. He was a chemist so he often experimented with different clays and finally settled on a white clay for his preferred lines. His method of making clay was very complicated and involved white silica, Maine feldspar, ball clay and powdered feldspar mixed together. An electric magnet extracted the iron. This mixture was then drained through 40 layers of canvas to make the mixture used in the final products.

His products weren't cheap even in the early days. Some were priced as high as $40 and limited editions could bring $500. He closed the pottery in 1931 and died in Arizona in 1957. This ended one of the most exciting careers ever established in the ceramic field.

The highlight of Mr. Cowan's career might have been the introduction of the Jazz Bowl in 1931. Its selling price was $50 and there were only 50 produced. Each one was different, with the carved decoration varying and each with an eye dazzling blue-green transparent glaze. One of these pieces has sold for over $120,000.

Cowan made a large variety of items from flower frogs, vases, plates and figures. Each piece was carefully designed to catch the eye. They would enhance any living quarters. You will find that there are still enough pieces to be found to make your search worthwhile.

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Daryle Lambert: Antique pottery by Cowan

Psst! Here is a big secret that I want to share with you. Cowan pottery has joined the big league. Most people think of Cowan as pieces made for the florist trade but they forget about the hunger that is out in the public for Art Deco pieces made by Cowan. This company made perhaps the best of the Art Deco pottery pieces ever made between 1913 and 1931. Guy Cowan had a wonderful stable of craftsman that helped him produce the wonderful pottery that is coveted today.

Along with Guy Cowan, there were artists like Viktor Schreckengost, Wayande Gregory, and Tehelma Frazier Winter. Pieces made by any of these artists are eagerly sought after and you can be assured that if you find pieces by these artists, your rewards will be great. The stylized mark formed with the word Cowan in it can be found on most pieces and this mark can be found in Kovel's book of marks.

We aren't talking about a few bucks here but many thousands if the right piece comes your way. I was fortune enough to see the Cowan Jazz bowl sell for $121,000 at a Cincinnati Art Gallery sale. Now that could change your outlook on life. In Cincinnati, the word Cowan seems to ring that certain bell of success. Just last November they had several fabulous pieces of Cowan in their holiday sale and their estimates amazed me. Here are just a few examples:

The rare “ Congo Head by Gregory $4,500, set of Russian Peasants $4,500, Spanish Dancers $1,800 and the “King of Clubs $900 were just a few of the Cowan pieces in that sale. Another place to see the value of Cowan is the Kovel price guide where you will find the bust “La Reveuse “ listed at $11,000 and the figurine “Fountain of Atoms” at $7,920. There are too many pieces that sell for more than $2,000 to include each piece but you can look at the prices yourself.

If you see a piece that appears to be Deco it would be wise to pick it up and take a look, you may very well be holding a treasure. I feel that the value of the quality Cowan pieces have no where else to go but up so keep a keen eye out for them.


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Fine Art Paintings: Portraits Are In.

Portrait of a Boy and Dog by an Unknown Artist.

Over the years I have had many opportunities to purchase unsigned primitive portraits or folk art portraits of men, women, and children. These have never particularly appealed to me, but after I examined the past catalog from Cowan’s Auction held in March of this year, I’ll be taking a second look next time I see one. I thought these had very little value, but that doesn’t appear to be true today. And, to my surprise, the values can skyrocket if they are signed. While I was aware that certain portraits by the leading painters could bring in fabulous money, with some fetching over $100,000, I didn’t know that most of these old portraits would bring $500 or more. I have passed on many of these portraits at prices as low as $100.

Checking Cowan's auction, I found where there were several paintings by fairly unknown artists that that brought good money. but were by fairly unknown artist. From their March 15th auction, lot # 27 by Robert Fulton sold for - $2520; #28 – for a pair by unknown artist - $13,000 plus, #146 By Samuel Shaver - $3,700 and #151 a pair by Ezra Ames - $5,700. Wow! I have passed on many listed portraits in Nashville shows for under $1500. Boy, do I wish I had that opportunity again.

You will find these portraits at many of the house sales you attend, and I hope you will begin to take notice of them. If you find a quality portrait painting, I suggest you consider Cowan's as the auction house to sell them. Go to the Cowan’s web page and sign up to get their past auction results. I think you’ll be as amazed with the prices as I was. Not only will you find the prices, but you’ll see photos of the paintings as well as their descriptions. This is one of those cases where I think it would definitely be best to sell this type of painting at auction, rather than on the Internet.

Over the last few days, I’ve been giving you information will assist you in making a lot of money. By applying the rules I’ve learned about buying and selling over many years of trial and error, you’ll gain from my roughly 45 years of experience. When you apply the financial principles to these trades, you’ll see your money accumulate substantially.

There have been several emails about the website, and I will try to answer all of them, but please be patient, as there are many changes coming. Checking the site while Jeremy is doing some of the construction may be problematic. I am looking forward to the day when the 31 Club site will be interactive, and you will be able to participate in the content whenever you wish.

I’m back from vacation and I have much catching up to do over the next few days. I thank each and every one of you for your patience while I was away, and special thanks to Cindy and Jeremy for keeping everything running in my absence.

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Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.