Van Briggle Pottery Company
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, the Van Briggle Pottery Company holds an important place in the development of American pottery. Founded by Artus and Anne Van Brittle in 1901, it was here that Artus, who was born in Ohio in 1869, was able to recreate the matte glaze he saw on Chinese Ming dynasty pottery while he was in Europe. This rediscovery, which had taken several years to develop, had a profound effect on American pottery and the Art Nouveau movement, which emphasized natural forms found nature. The Van Briggles (Anne was also an excellent artist) depicted animals, plants and human forms on their pottery, a large portion of which were decorative tiles. The building itself is very unique architecturally, combing elements of the Arts and Crafts movement with Flemish elements. This is not surprising since the architect, Nicolas van den Arend, was of Dutch descent. Today, the company is still active and producing pottery, maintaining the tradition that began more than a century ago.
Images
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Sources
R. Laurie Simmons & Thomas H. Simmons. "Van Briaale Pottery Company." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places. April 29, 2009. http://focus.nps.gov/GetAsset?assetID=454810f5-efca-4047-af7c-64bcd76c5d3a.
"Van Briggle Pottery." Wikipedia. Accessed November 28, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Briggle_Pottery.