Maria Longworth Nichols Storer (1849-1932) for Rookwood Pottery
earthenware vase with a three-toed dragon, flying bats and fired-on gold decoration
Cincinnati, Ohio, circa 1880
high glazed ceramic
incised "Rookwoob [sic] Pottery Cin Ohio, M.L.N"
12 1/2"dia x 13"h

Catalog Note:
This is possibly one of the earliest pieces of Rookwood ever produced. Rookwood's first kiln was unloaded on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1880, and this may have been a part of that initial offering. Early Rookwood pieces from 1881 are incised in the same manner but clearly marked 1881. This was before the company had developed a standard marking system. There is reasonable belief that this is an 1880 piece in that it is not dated at all. It is clearly a classic example of Nichols' work. The fact that she misspelled the name of her own company is a curiosity; perhaps it was out of nervousness getting pieces ready to fire before Thanksgiving Day.

Faint crazing and a tight line at the rim corresponding to a molding seam, most likely a stress separation.