Roseville Pottery was established in 1890 by a Civil War veteran and businessman John Frederic Weaver of Roseville, Ohio. Together with three other local potters and businessmen, the company was officially incorporated in 1892. George Young, who had joined the firm in 1891 as a salesman, became the secretary and general manager. Shortly thereafter, the company bought the factory once belonged to J.B. Owens Pottery, and absorbed Midland Pottery (formerly McCoy Pottery) in 1895. Roseville Pottery continued to expand their production from then on, with over 100 employees creating flower vases, garden statues, umbrella stands, and other small decorative objects that were highly in demand.
In 1898, upon acquiring Clark Stoneware Company of Zanesville, Roseville Pottery relocated its offices and part of production to the town of Zanesville, about 20 minutes north of Roseville. They went onto acquire the old Mosaic Tile Company plant and expanded the existing structures to accommodate a higher volume of production and sales. The company was flourishing—their employees have doubled, and the new Rozane painted ware was selling well. The Rozane Royal line, developed by Ross C. Purdy for Roseville in 1900, featured a slip painting on a dark ground under a high-gloss glaze, much like Rookwood’s Standard Glaze line or similar styles sold by Weller and Owens. One of the finest and rarest lines sold by Roseville, Rozane Mongol was developed by the then art director John J. Herold circa 1903. Featuring a vibrant red glaze reminiscent of ancient Chinese art pottery, this line won the first prize at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition. However, it was short-lived due to the lack of popularity and technical challenges involved with production.
In 1904, Frederick Hurten Rhead was named the new art director. A talented ceramicist from England, Rhead had previously worked at Vance-Avon and Weller before joining Roseville. There, he designed several noteworthy lines that are sought after to this date, including Della Robbia, Fudji, Crystalis, Aztec, and Olympic. After his short tenure, his brother Harry W. Rhead took over the role in 1908. Amidst the first World War, the interest in art pottery was in decline, and Rhead created the Pauleo line circa 1914 in response. Defined by the plain, large forms, Pauleo was introduced as a high-end, customizable line that served a practical purpose. Rhead is also credited with creating the Donatello line circa 1915.
Frank Ferrell became the new art director in 1919, a position he held until 1952. Together with the technical supervisor George Krause, Ferrell created many new lines including Pinecone, Futura, Baneda, Volpato, Ferrella, Sunflower and Wisteria. Pinecone in particular was immensely successful and over 75 shapes were produced in four colors. Ferrell continued creating at least one new line each year until 1952, with Raymor being the very last commercial line ever produced by Roseville. Unfortunately, Raymor was not well-received by the public and Roseville Pottery eventually closed its doors in 1954.
Roseville Pottery persevered for over half a century with their ability to read the market and adapt to the fast-changing styles of each time period. A rediscovery of Roseville in the 1970s has led many people to go on a hunt for vintage Roseville. This trend has continued to this date, and avid collectors are still seeking to add more pieces to their collections from hundreds of designs offered by Roseville in the early to mid-20th century.
Auction Results Roseville Pottery
