Indian Chief
Circa 1920s

Earthenware
11.25 x 5.25 x 5.25 in.
Gift of Richard W. Gold from the Arthur J. Williams Collection
2024.12.10

Indian Chief was likely made in the late 1920s by Ambrose Schlegel, who worked at Van Briggle Art Pottery from its early years and played an important role in pottery production until around 1930. Although it resembles a vase, this piece is illustrated as a lamp base in a 1920s advertisement. The mulberry satin matte glaze with dark blue overspray and the slender, elegant shape—hallmarks of the Art Nouveau style—are typical of Van Briggle Art Pottery. Indian Chief features a Native American chief’s head sculpted on three sides, each with a different expression. Native American subjects were frequently used by potteries during the American art pottery movement, since the influence of Native American ceramic tradition was one of the key elements that shaped this movement.

Born in Felicity, Ohio, in 1869, Artus Van Briggle moved to Cincinnati, where he studied art and began his career. Van Briggle started as a potter at Avon Pottery and later worked at the Rookwood Pottery Company, where his talent was recognized and supported. In 1893, the company helped him study in Paris, where he attended the Académie Julian, explored museum collections, and met Anne Lawrence Gregory, who would later become his wife. They returned to the United States in 1896, and Van Briggle resumed his work at Rookwood while attempting to recreate the lost matte glazes of the Chinese Ming Dynasty. Diagnosed with tuberculosis, he moved to Colorado Springs in 1899, where he experimented with local clay and other materials. In 1901, he and his wife founded Van Briggle Pottery, which achieved immediate success and gained an important position within the American art pottery movement. After Artus's death in 1904, Anne continued to run the company for several years, using existing models and creating new designs. The company changed ownership and locations multiple times but remained active, producing pottery in the spirit of its founder until its closure in 2012.

Sara Eco Conti

---

This object has the following keywords:

• blue
• head
• maroon
• vase