1990s Large Newcomb College Art Pottery Vase, Prized "Moon and Moss" Decoration

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An evocative late-period example of Newcomb College Art Pottery, this substantial 10 1/2-inch vase dates to 1928 and features the … Read more An evocative late-period example of Newcomb College Art Pottery, this substantial 10 1/2-inch vase dates to 1928 and features the pottery’s celebrated “Moon and Moss” landscape decoration. Probably decorated by Sadie Irvine, one of Newcomb’s most important and prolific artists, the vase combines a low-relief carved landscape with layers of matte blue, green, and white underglaze to create a remarkably atmospheric interpretation of the Louisiana landscape. Irvine was known for this "Moon and Moss" decoration. This vase was in the collection of Barbara McIlhenny Parsons, of the McIlhenny family that developed and still runs the historic Tabasco empire on Avery Island in Louisiana.

At more than ten inches high, this is a substantial Newcomb vase with considerable visual presence. Its appeal lies not in elaborate color or densely carved ornament but in atmosphere: the tall trees, suspended moss, moonlight and varying depths of blue transform the surface into an idealized Louisiana night landscape. Viewed from different directions, the scene continually changes, making the vase both a ceramic object and a landscape painting in the round.

Newcomb College Art Pottery “Moon and Moss” Vase
New Orleans, 1928
Probably decorated by Sadie Irvine
Thrown by Jonathan Hunt
Low-relief carved “Moon and Moss” landscape
Matte glaze with blue, green and white underglaze
Newcomb cipher, Jonathan Hunt potter’s mark, registration no. RG13 and shape no. 144
Height: 10 1/2 in. Diameter: 5 in.
Provenance: Collection of Barbara McIlhenny Parsons, South Bristol, Maine. See less