Artus Van Briggle - History of the Van Briggle factory
Artus Van Briggle was born in 1869 in Felicity, OH. When he was 17 he moved to Cincinnati where he took his first job painting faces on china dolls at the Arnold Fairyland Store. He became a student at the Cincinnati School of Art and left the doll factory to become Carl Langenback’s apprentice at Avon Pottery.
His next job was at Rookwood Pottery (another of my favorites) and he became a leading decorator. In 1893, Rookwood sent Artus to Paris to study at the Julian School. In Paris, he was exposed to Oriental pottery. After returning from Paris, Artus became obsessed with trying to rediscover the lose Ming glaze. Then, tragedy struck and Artis was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He moved to Colorado Springs in 1899 because the dry climate was better for those suffering from the disease.
Like any good patient, Artis listened to his doctor’s orders and took long walks. On one of these walks he discovered deposits of kaolin and feldspar (elements used in clay mixtures) in an area now known as the Garden of the Gods. He spent the next year developing designs for his glaze.
Anne Lawrence Gregory together developed the logo for Van Briggle pottery (they’d been engaged since 1895). Two entwined A’s in a square. In 1901 Ms. Storer, of Rookwood pottery assisted Artus in starting the Van Briggle pottery plant. He held his first exhibit with 300 pieces just before Christmas in 1901. Every piece sold. Artus and Anne were married on June 12, 1902. Artus died on July 4, 1904. He was only 35. Fortunately, Artus had passed on his secret glaze formulas and techniques to his wife. Anne ran the factory through 1912 when she leased the company to Edwin DeForest Curtis.
I’ve been to the Van Briggle factory, and it’s a wonderful experience.
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