Ruskin Pottery

Link history of ruskin pottery
http://www.laws.sandwell.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-galleries/collections-online/ruskin-pottery/history-of-ruskin-pottery/

Vase 8" dated 1912

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This is a small simple Ruskin Bowl but rates as one of my favourite pieces.

6" Diameter with a soft lustre of Blues, Browns and Pinks.

Here's my tiny collection of Ruskin items; the first 2 vases were purchased for the grand sum of £1.50 each back in 2001 from a charity shop.
I'd never heard of Ruskin at the time of purchase but took an instant like to the pair with their lustrous glaze and thought them well worth the £3 and decided to risk it.....they were slightly splattered with white emulsion so thought they had some age!
The wonder of the internet educated me to the story of this interesting Pottery and I began to look for more.....









Ever since that date I have been looking out for more such bargains but thought it would never happen again....any lustre piece gets a second glance from me but it never turned out to be Ruskin......
Until 3 months ago that is when I found this vase forlorn on a local charity shop shelf , it has a hairline crack alas but it's really tiny (almost invisible), it cost 50p so I cannot complain.

The lustre wares are the least popular with collectors but at those prices they were still exceptional bargains.

It goes to show that some of the collectable art pottery factories are not recognised by the general public (& charity shop staff) in the same way as some less important factories are.

...they were slightly splattered with white emulsion so thought they had some age!

I look for white emulsion on pots too  

studio-pots wrote:The lustre wares are the least popular with collectors but at those prices they were still exceptional bargains.

It goes to show that some of the collectable art pottery factories are not recognised by the general public (& charity shop staff) in the same way as some less important factories are.

Yes, they were dead cheap   .
Must admit that with the 50p vase I did initially question its authenticity as the impressed mark looks nothing like anything I had seen on Ruskin before but the great age of the hairline (it looked old due to ingrained  dirt) made me come around to the  conclusion  that it wasn't a modern repro....have the Chinese started faking Ruskin yet?

NaomiM wrote:

...they were slightly splattered with white emulsion so thought they had some age!

I look for white emulsion on pots too  

I still do this, although looking back the age of the
Ruskin pieces was clear to see (1923)...!
To think I thought they could be a shape number....

The prices achieved for that auction were indeed strong....

I love my lustre pieces tbh.....but if only I could find a piece of high-fired ware.....

I saw this in a charity online auction, and I thought it looked interesting and valuable, so I bought it. I looked up the scissors mark and now I know I have an early Ruskin, but I don't know what to do with it. I'm from London, so I want to know if this is rare, and if I should bring it home and sell it in the UK, or should I find a collector over here. What do you think?

1) Hi Astrantia - Welcome! Glad you worked out how to post really nice photos
2) You've posted in a strange place - so don't get upset if this post gets moved
3) A search (top right) for RUSKIN will take you here https://www.20thcenturyforum.com/t4003-ruskin-pottery?highlight=RUSKIN
4) I'm sure someone will answer you questions soon you are in the right place

There must be Ruskin collectors in the US. May be safer to sell it at auction there, rather than risk breaking it on a journey back to the UK. Do Christies or Bonhams have any branches in Texas?

it should fetch a premium in the States due to it's greater rarity

It lools to be a Water jug, and is shown in the 1905 catalogue here:

http://ruskinpottery.org/the-lost-catalogue

Thank you all for the replies.
1) I was a little worried that the pictures might be too big, and I messed up posting it to the right place because I clicked on the wrong thing and lost the original post.
2) There is a Christie's in Dallas. An email address and a name anyway. I did look up auctions in Texas; I found Coca-Cola memorabilia, tractors and oil field stuff. I will send an email to the Christie's rep.
3) There are at least two museums over here with Ruskin Pottery collections, one of those being the Metropolitan in New York. The V&A also has a big collection. I have not seen this jug in any of the online information about those collections, which made me wonder if it is quite rare.
4) Thank you for the link to the lost catalogue. Yes, there is my little jug, although I shouldn't think it holds much more than a pint. I suspect an ale jug would have been a lot bigger!

So, the pot had grooves cut into it before firing, and the pewter handle was added after. Does anyone know what kind of glaze this is? Is it lustre?

Hi Astrantia

It's a nice Ruskin you have there. The glaze could be described as souffle but these early decorated items tend not to be labeled by the glaze but design. It is an uncommon item with the pewter addition but it's not unusual to find Ruskin in America. He sold an awful lot in the states. Insurance value in England would be something in the mid hundreds. The truly high values on Ruskin are exclusively for the high fired stoneware items.

I am sure an auction house could sell it for you but I would expect half of the hammer price to be swallowed up in charges at this level. A certain online listing site could be the place to sell it, though American export charges would hurt its global appeal. If it was mine I would look for the largest antique fair in your area and pop along. A private sale to an arts & crafts dealer will probably get you the best return.

Oh and the design should give you a big clue of its intended use by the way. It shows grapes = wine

The 1920/30s styling on these Ruskin items are great. Visually and tactile pleasure.

Ah lovely crystalline Ruskin. They should sparkle under light.

I am chuffed with this little pot. The light turquoise lustre is full of colours and it is in wonderful condition. Having tipped the rainwater out and cleaned all the dirt off it almost fluoresces. I realise that it is not at the top of the Ruskin collectable tree but it is still worth the £1 I paid at the charity shop, so, a question: should I feel guilty. I don't, but should I?

I think it's very good for any business to offer bargains from time to time, as it helps bring people back to shop with them..... so I see no reason that you should feel guilty.

Good afternoon

Do you still have the Ruskin with pewter mount Jug

Thank you

Good afternoon

Is there anyone who would like to sell any of their Ruskin?

I would be interested.
Thank you
Richard