In Sunset Boulevard, Norma Desmond recalls, “This floor used to be wood. But, I had it changed. Valentino said there’s nothing like tile for a tango.” As in Hollywood, so in America as a whole. Art tiles added zest, snap, intensity, and fun to American life as they grouted their way into nearly every reach of its material culture—in the home as fireplace surrounds, wainscots, backsplashes, nursery cladding, even as Christmas cards of clay. They introduced color into American architecture though the country’s transportation system at subway and train stations. They paved the apses of churches and cathedrals, humanized city and judicial halls, civic auditoriums, banks, parts of the Mayo Clinic, and even the floor of the U.S. Capitol. They accented theaters, restaurants, better hotels, and Carnegie Libraries.
The Switzer-Mohr Collection lays out an encyclopedic array of tiles used in these ways from the golden era of American art tiles—the Arts & Crafts period shading into early Modernism. The offerings are assembled and presented with the passion of a collector but curated by several types of expertise: the knowledge of the connoisseur, one who has literally handled thousands of examples of the objects of which he speaks; the knowledge of a scholar, the person who delves into archives to understand the origins and nature of what he loves; the skill of the writer, who can make dusty history and technique accessible; and the devotion and aspiration of the teacher.
A survey of the evolution of art pottery in America during the early 20th century, this delightfully robust selection offers collectors an opportunity to expand their engagement with the nation's decorative history one tile at a time.
Richard D. Mohr is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and of the Classics at the University of Illinois. He is the author of Pottery, Politics, Art: George Ohr and the Brothers Kirkpatrick (2003) and The Splendid Disarray of Beauty: The Boys, the Tiles, the Joy of Cathedral Oaks (2023). Since 1993, he has been a frequent contributor to the Journal of the American Art Pottery Association, with serializations on Rookwood tiles, Van Briggle tiles, Teco tiles, Prairie School architects’ uses of art tiles, tiles installed in schools, and tiles made in schools.
Artus Van Briggle 1869–1904
Born to a long line of artisans on March 21, 1869 in Felicity, Ohio, Artus Van Briggle showed promise as an artist from a young age. At seventeen he moved to Cincinnati, a hotbed of American ceramics, to apprentice under Karl Langenbeck at Avon Pottery. By 1887 he was working at Rookwood Pottery where he expanded his skills in painting, modeling clay, and making molds.
Van Briggle’s star rose quickly at Rookwood. They sent him to Europe in 1893 to study at the Académie Julian and then the prestigious Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His time in Paris proved to be both life-changing and formative; he met his future wife, Anne Lawrence Gregory, and developed an interest in fourteenth century Chinese Ming glazes during his trips to Paris museums. Van Briggle returned to Cincinnati in 1896 and resumed his work at Rookwood, while in his spare time doggedly attempting to revive the lost Chinese art of dead matte glazes.
By 1898 he had finally achieved success and a few pieces of his matte glaze pottery fired at Rookwood were shown to great critical acclaim. Professional triumph coincided with a worsening of his tuberculosis. It is unknown when he contracted the disease, but his declining health forced him to leave Rookwood for the warm, dry climate of Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1899.
Van Briggle continued his ceramic experiments in Colorado, designing, casting, and firing the pieces almost entirely by himself. His work began to appear in magazines and newspapers by the end of 1901, with critics praising both its quality and artistry. The individuality of his pottery, with its innovative combination of modeled Art Nouveau-inspired forms and masterful glazes, intrigued and excited viewers. He rapidly achieved international success; his entire twenty-four piece entry to the 1903 Paris Salon was accepted and he was awarded two gold, one silver, and twelve bronze medals. He then exhibited at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Centennial Exposition in St. Louis, handily winning two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, and would have won the grand prix if not for a rule prohibiting it being awarded to a first-time exhibitor.
Tragically, Van Briggle succumbed to tuberculosis during the St. Louis exposition. His wife, Anne, became president of the Van Briggle Company in 1905 and it went on to operate until 2012, at which time it was the oldest continually operating art pottery in the United States. Though the pottery achieved some successes after his death, it is widely agreed that the earliest pieces, those made during Artus’ lifetime, are of the highest caliber.
Auction Results Artus Van Briggle
Auction Results Van Briggle Pottery
