Stoneware Pitcher by William Ridgway and Co

"Tam o' Shanter" is a narrative poem written by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Published in 1791, it describes the habits of Tam, a farmer who often gets drunk with his friend Souter Johnie (a souter is a cobbler) in a public house in the Scottish town of Ayr. This wonderfully detailed stoneware jug by William Ridgway and Co. (1830-1854) of Hanley, Staffordshire, England, depicts scenes in relief from the poem. The bottom of the pitcher has a mark stamped into the clay that reads "Published by W. RIDGWAY & CO. Hanley, October 1, 1835." The jug is in the buff color called "drabware;" it's been heavily reproduced without the proper marks in just about every color you can imagine.

YUP'IK Basket Native Alaska

 This is a "mingqaq," which means "coiled grass basket" in the Yup'ik language. It was made by Agnes Tommy in Newtok (Yup'ik name: Niugtaq), a small village on the Ningliq River in Alaska. In a Los Angeles Times newspaper article about climate changes in Newtok, Agnes Tommy was mentioned; in 2004 when the article was published, she was "probably 82." This basket was probably made in the 1960's, when Agnes Tommy was in her 40's.

Market Basket Wood Handle-Cherokee

 

This handsome single-weave Cherokee basket was twill plaited of white oak splints circa 1960's. It's called a market basket; its uses included storing grain, catching fish and carrying food. Over the last century, weaving patterns have been named for the weave itself such as “over-two, under-two," which is the pattern used for this basket.

Hirsch's Lithograph "Music" Limited Edition

 

Joseph Hirsch (1910–1981) was an American painter and illustrator from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This lithograph titled 'Music' was published in 1951 in a limited edition of 250 by

Associated American Artists. Hirsch produced dozens of lithographs including this grayscale portrait of a man with his harmonica to his lips. Hirsch's works are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and many other museums.

Fertility Sculpture African Akua'ba

One of the most commonly recognized forms of African art is the akua'ba from the Ashanti people in Southern Ghana. The female figures, created by male carvers, embody the features that are regarded as ideals of feminine fertility and beauty. The high oval forehead on the oversized head indicates knowledge; the rings around the neck denote rolls of fat. The female form is quite stylized, with the tubular body complete with protruding navel and stiffly outstretched arms and small breasts.

Intricately Carved Bowl by Florida Old River Run Pottery

 

This intricately carved bowl was wheel thrown by studio potter Dawn Zaharis Prietz (1953-) in Marianna, Florida. Dawn designs unique style using stoneware clay, some of it dug locally in Jackson County. Her pottery was the subject of a feature in Wiregrass Living Magazine. We've included an April, 2022 photo of her at an Art Show in Troy, Alabama, where she won the Best of Show Award and an invitation to do a one-person art show at the Johnson Center for the Arts in Troy. She is currently the owner/potter of Old River Run Pottery in Marianna.

Original Painting Roses by W. T. Presley

 A lovely, glowing painting by the artist W.T. Presley, this framed canvas features a pair of roses in shades of coral and orange with buds and leaves on a background of pale gold. The wooden frame complements it nicely. The raised molding and the fillet are painted in a coppery-gold with an antiqued appearance. There is a wide section painted in antiqued green and one of light gold canvas that carry out the color theme of the painting. The frame is subtle, not ornate, but very decorative.