The paul J. and kimberley a. Diamond collection
This exhibition closed July 2023
American art pottery companies needed to innovate to maintain the interest of the American consumer and their evolving tastes for new pottery styles, shapes, patterns, and colors.
This eclectic selection of vases from the Zanesville Museum of Art’s permanent art pottery collection came to us from Paul J. and Kimberly A. Diamond and features nearly forty original pieces manufactured at Weller and Roseville Pottery Companies, two of the largest art pottery companies located in Zanesville, Ohio.
The works on view are a visual representation of experimentation and innovation and reveal how companies tested established glazes on new, dynamic forms or how they investigated lighter and brighter glaze colors on traditional forms. These unique, and often one-of-a-kind pieces are commonly referred to as “experimentals” or having “trial glazes” and they tell a story about the stylistic evolution of American art pottery during the first half of the 20th century.
Image Above: Roseville Pottery Company, Ixia Vase featuring a Variegated Blue and Purple Blended, Satin Trial Glaze, circa 1937, earthenware and glaze. Gift of Paul J. and Kimberly A. Diamond, 2021.013.009.
