Savin Tree Tile

Grueby Faience Company, American, 1894 - 1909

Share

about 1902

Glazed earthenware

Overall: 16 5/8 × 5 × 1 in. (42.2 × 12.7 × 2.5 cm)

Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of William P. Curry, Class of 1957

C.999.34.1

Geography

Place Made: United States, North America

Period

20th century

Object Name

Building Component

Research Area

Decorative Arts

Not on view

Label

These tiles once bordered a fireplace in Dreamwold, a lavish estate built in Scituate, Massachusettes, in 1902.  Grueby Faience Company, a leading art pottery firm in Boston, provided the mansion with tiles for at least nine fireplaces, five bathrooms, and a conservatory.  This fireplace facing design, based on a species of juniper (Juniperus sabina), was illustrated in Grueby's tile catalogue with three plain tiles across the top; according to a 1909 price list, the entire set sold for thirty-five dollars. The flattened composition of these tiles reflects the influence of Japanese aesthetics, while their sinuous outlines relate to the European art nouveau style popular at the turn of the twentieth century.

Exhibition History

American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 9-December 9, 2007.

Grueby Pottery, A New England Arts and Crafts Venture, The William Curry Collection, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 2-September 18, 1994.

Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, September 15, 1999-April 18, 2001.

Publication History

Grueby Pottery, A New England Arts and Crafts Venture, The William Curry Collection, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 1994, ill. p. 32, no. 88.

Barbara J. MacAdam, American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Muesum of Art, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2007, p. 230, no. 202.

Provenance

William P. Curry, New York, New York; lent to present collection, 1999; given to present collection, 2000.

This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.

We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu