A Comparison Of Townsend-goddard And Teco Pottery


by Victor Epand - Date: 2008-08-28 - Word Count: 446 Share This!

The Metropolitan Museum featured enough of John Townsend's work to fill four galleries. One item was his earliest known creation, a drop-leaf dining table from 1759. Following not far behind was a mahogany card table, dated 1762, as well as many other items. The signature blocks and shells appeared on a great deal of pieces, including a fall-front desk that contained larger, more striking versions of the shells.

After taking a Neoclassical approach to his designs in the late 1780s, Townsend focused on the creation of card tables and double-leaf drop tables. The tables featured straight legs, wood inlays, and angular lines. The majority of Townsend pieces were hand-signed and dated, a rare attribute at the time.

Townsend-Goddard furniture is highly respected by antique dealers and collectors worldwide. One of the pieces - a mahogany bookcase - crafted by Townsend's father, Christopher, was sold at an auction for more than eight million dollars. Likewise, in the late 1980s, a Goddard desk-bookcase was sold by the original owners for twelve million dollars. This marked a new record for the sale price of an American furniture item. Townsend-Goddard furniture is featured in various museums, as well as the Preservation Society of Newport County.

Teco Pottery pieces are more uncommon than most other collections of their time. Famous for its signature matte green glaze, Teco pieces can be easily identified. Featuring an array of shapes and unique characteristics, such as angled handles and outlines, the company gained a great deal of popularity during its short time in production.

Teco Pottery was introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century by William Gates, founder of Terra Cotta Tile Works. Based in Terra Cotta, Illinois, the company originally produced drain tile and brick, before starting to experiment with clay. Within the first decade of production, Teco Pottery had created over 500 shapes. Although Gates was responsible for about half of these distinctive designs, several of the later shapes were created by other artists, as well as nearby architect students. These students incorporated the simple yet modern lines of the Prairie School style, made famous by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Vases prevailed as the most popular of the Teco line, available in a variety of designs. The kiss vase featured a wide bottom that curved upward into a very small opening, the orb vase resembled a round bowl with protruding legs, and the double gourd vase contained four handles. One of the most heavily hunted pieces is the buttress vase, offered in both a two-buttress and four-buttress design. For a basic, timeless look, the large classical vase was one of the few pieces issued with a more standard design. Teco vases are divided into three categories: architectural, organic and geometric.

Related Tags: pottery, teco pottery, townsend pottery

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for pottery, antiques, and figurines. When shopping for pottery, antiques and figurines, we recommend these online stores for Townsend-Goddard or Teco pottery, antiques, and figurines.

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