Ephraim Faience Pottery
Encyclopedia
Ephraim Faience Pottery is an art pottery company founded in 1996 in Deerfield, Wisconsin
Deerfield, Wisconsin
Deerfield is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,319 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Deerfield. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 by Kevin Hicks and two partners who have since left the company. It is now located in Lake Mills, Wisconsin
Lake Mills, Wisconsin
Lake Mills is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,843 at the 2000 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Lake Mills.-Geography:Lake Mills is located at ....

. The company produces art pottery in the tradition of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...

 with matte glazes over sculpted earthenware in editions of no more than 500
500 (number)
500 is the natural number following 499 and preceding 501.- Other fields :Five hundred is also*many NASCAR races often use the number 500 at the end of their race names 500 (five hundred) is the natural number following 499 and preceding 501.- Other fields :Five hundred is also*many NASCAR races...

 pieces. It produces primarily vase
Vase
The vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. It can be made from a number of materials including ceramics and glass. The vase is often decorated and thus used to extend the beauty of its contents....

s, as well as bowls, lidded boxes, candleholders, pitchers and lanterns. In the past, it has also produced tiles and sculpted paperweights. A prototypical Ephraim Faience piece is a vase finished in a matte green background color, and embellished with sculpted decorative representations of plant or animal life. The company also produces pieces in other colors and in non-representational designs. In 2009, the company employed eight artisans.

The magazine Arts and Crafts Homes and the Revival commented "Ephraim Faience, which relies on familiar naturalistic (and often Japanesque) motifs like dragonflies, gingko leaves, and water lilies, reports that new designs by their artisans sell better than strict reproductions."

The name "Ephraim" was adopted from the village of Ephraim
Ephraim, Wisconsin
-Events:The city's main festival is Fyr Bal, a Scandinavian celebration held near the solstice in mid-June to drive out the wicked winter witch. Bonfires burn along the shoreline as residents and visitors gather to celebrate the beginning of summer....

 in Door County, Wisconsin
Door County, Wisconsin
Door County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 27,961. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. Door County is a popular vacation and tourist destination, especially for residents of Wisconsin and Illinois....

.

Marks

Each piece is individually marked with a date cypher
Cypher
Not to be confused with CipherCypher may refer to:* A royal cypher or monogram-like glyph-Art and entertainment:* Cypher , a Goa trance music group* Cypher , an Australian instrumental band* Cypher , a 2002 film...

, the company logo and an artist signature stamp. Additional stamps indicate whether it is an experimental piece, made during an anniversary year (5th and 10th anniversaries are both marked) or part of a special edition.

See also

  • List of pottery terms
  • Arts and Crafts movement
    Arts and Crafts movement
    Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...

  • Ceramic
    Ceramic
    A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...

  • Ceramics (art)
    Ceramics (art)
    In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...

  • Earthenware
    Earthenware
    Earthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%...

  • Faience
    Faience
    Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed pottery on a delicate pale buff earthenware body, originally associated with Faenza in northern Italy. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip...

  • Teco pottery
    Teco pottery
    The American Terra Cotta Tile and Ceramic Company was founded in 1881; originally as Spring Valley Tile Works; in Terra Cotta, Illinois, near Chicago by William Day Gates. It became the country's first manufactury of architectural terra cotta. The production consisted of drain tile, brick, chimney...


External links

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