1994.25 Hugh C. Robertson, Vase



GENERAL DESCRIPTION    
Inspired by the Asian ceramics exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, Chelsea Keramic Art Works' Hugh C. Robertson dedicated his career to the replication of Chinese and Japanese glazes. For example, "Robertson's Red," first achieved in 1885 and perfected in 1888, imitated the sang de boeuf or "oxblood" glaze developed in Qing dynasty China. He applied the glazes he developed to pale stoneware with simple shapes in order to showcase the saturation and brilliance of their hues, including turquoise, dark green, apple green, mustard yellow, and purple. The polychrome, textured surface of this vase is the result of Robertson's experiments with blended and layered glazes following the relocation of his enterprise, renamed Dedham Pottery, in 1895. 

Drawn from
  • Elisabeth Cameron, Encyclopedia of Pottery and Porcelain 1800-1960 (London: Cameron Books, 1986), 101, 281. 
  • Lois Lehner, Lehner's Encyclopedia of U.S. Marks on Pottery, Porcelain & Clay (Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 1988), 124.

NOTES
I updated the birth/death dates and birth/work locations for Hugh C. Robertson in the Constituents Module in TMS. 

I updated Provenance in TMS. 

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE
n.d.: Maude Davenport Garland (d. 1956), Dedham and Hyannis, Massachusetts [1] 

Until 1994: Charles A. Garland, Dallas, Texas, by inheritance [2]

From 1994: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the above [2]

[1] Maude Davenport Garland was a decorator at Dedham Pottery. See Acquisition Proposal titled "T41339.1-4; T41347" (undated, copy in Collections Records Object File). See also "Classic crackleware," Colonial Homes, February 1989, 91-95. 

[2] See Deed of Gift (dated May 21, 1994, electronic copy in TMS). 

AUDIO ASSETS 

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES 
  • Yale University Art Gallery~Hugh C. Robertson's designs with bubbled or blistered surfaces are known as "Volcanic Ware." View an example in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. 
  • Cooper Hewitt~Read a brief history of the sang de boeuf or "oxblood" glaze.
  • Antiques & Fine Art Magazine~Read about Hugh C. Robertson and his contemporaries in "American Ceramics, 1876-1956: The Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art." 

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1994.25

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General Description
   
Inspired by the Asian ceramics exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, Chelsea Keramic Art Works' Hugh C. Robertson dedicated his career to the replication of Chinese and Japanese glazes. For example, "Robertson's Red," first achieved in 1885 and perfected in 1888, imitated the sang de boeuf or "oxblood" glaze developed in Qing dynasty China. He applied the glazes he developed to pale stoneware with simple shapes in order to showcase the saturation and brilliance of their hues, including turquoise, dark green, apple green, mustard yellow, and purple. The polychrome, textured surface of this vase is the result of Robertson's experiments with blended and layered glazes following the relocation of his enterprise, renamed Dedham Pottery, in 1895. 

Drawn from
  • Elisabeth Cameron, Encyclopedia of Pottery and Porcelain 1800-1960 (London: Cameron Books, 1986), 101, 281. 
  • Lois Lehner, Lehner's Encyclopedia of U.S. Marks on Pottery, Porcelain & Clay (Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 1988), 124.

Fun Facts

Archival Resources

Web Resources
 
  • Yale University Art Gallery~Hugh C. Robertson's designs with bubbled or blistered surfaces are known as "Volcanic Ware." View an example in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. 
  • Cooper Hewitt~Read a brief history of the sang de boeuf or "oxblood" glaze.
  • Antiques & Fine Art Magazine~Read about Hugh C. Robertson and his contemporaries in "American Ceramics, 1876-1956: The Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art." 

Notes
I updated the birth/death dates and birth/work locations for Hugh C. Robertson in the Constituents Module in TMS. 

I updated Provenance in TMS. 

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE
n.d.: Maude Davenport Garland (d. 1956), Dedham and Hyannis, Massachusetts [1] 

Until 1994: Charles A. Garland, Dallas, Texas, by inheritance [2]

From 1994: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the above [2]

[1] Maude Davenport Garland was a decorator at Dedham Pottery. See Acquisition Proposal titled "T41339.1-4; T41347" (undated, copy in Collections Records Object File). See also "Classic crackleware," Colonial Homes, February 1989, 91-95. 

[2] See Deed of Gift (dated May 21, 1994, electronic copy in TMS). 

AUDIO ASSETS 

VIDEO ASSETS

rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1994.25
tags
#draft
#completed
%copyedited_Gail
glazing (coating): AAT: 300053914
*Decorative Arts and Design
firing (technique): AAT: 300053887
@Robinson
vases: AAT: 300132254
earthenware: AAT: 300140803
glaze: AAT: 300015091
art pottery: AAT: 300185648
throwing (pottery technique): AAT: 300053908
Dedham Pottery: DMA
Dedham (Massachusetts/United States): TGN: 7013518
Robertson_Hugh C.: DMA
Durham (England): TGN: 7008127
Chelsea (Massachusetts/United States): TGN: 7015012
Jersey City (New Jersey/United States): TGN: 7013813
source file
object_notes_4_a-0141.xml.nores