Ceramic Arts Studio (CAS) - Swan Teapot

CAS Swan Teapot No breaks, chip or repairs - excellent condition Marked appropriately on the underside base <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Please eBay message me with any questions and / or comments About the Ceramic Arts Studio........ The Ceramic Arts Studio of Madison, Wisconsin was begun in 1940 by Lawrence Rabbitt and Rueben Sand. Rabitt, an art student at the University of Wisconsin, had received funding from the Works Project Administration to find applications for native Wisconsin clay.The company at first sold hand-thrown pots made by Rabitt. Then a chance encounter led to great success. In 1942 a secretary employed by the State of Wisconsin, Betty Harrington, had dug a new well at her house and saw her children playing with a modeling clay that they had excavated from the well. Harrington, who had no formal training in art beyond high school, but who had always kept a sketch book, had shaped an incense burner from the clay. Looking for someone to fire and harden the model, she happened to pass a building on Blount Street with the sign Ceramic Arts Studio.The owners liked her work so well that they asked her to design other items for them.At this time there was a strong demand for figurines in department stores and gift shops. The source of these figurines, Germany and Japan, had dried up due to the war. Figurines made by California potters such as Kay Finch were available, but relatively expensive.Almost all of the figurines were designed by Betty Harrington. To get the figurines just the way she wanted them, she also designed her own molds. A crew of mostly women hand-painted details on the pottery. The figurines are known for their brilliant colors, their flowing form, and their whimsical nature. It would be fair to say that as a sculptress Betty Harrington was as all-American as Norman Rockwell was as an artist.Among her most famous achievements are dancing figurines inspired by Martha Graham, including Comedy and Tragedy, and an ornate group of Archibald the Dragon, Lady Rowena, and Saint George on a charger.By 1953 imports resuming from Japan had drastically cut into the sales of Ceramic Arts Studio. Although the imports were of poor quality they could be sold much cheaper. Ceramic Arts Studio went out of business in 1955.Many Ceramic Arts Studios products are marked on the base. Those that are not often have a daub of paint near the pour hole. Although this was originally intended as a quality control code it can sometimes serve to confirm the origin of an item. read more