Vase
Newcomb Pottery; Sabina Elliott Wells
1 of 6
Object Label
The cabinet, table, and side chair seen here were designed by the most famous French furniture and interior designer of the 1920s and 1930s, Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, for the salon of Les Terrasses, the villa of the Weitz family outside Lyons, France. In a rare surviving document, Ruhlmann provides a detailed proposal describing all the elements of the room, including ten pieces of furniture, silk wall hangings, sheer curtains, and draperies (all of which were subsequently acquired by the Museum). The corner cabinet, the most expensive component of the salon, cost 9,450 francs.
Caption
Newcomb Pottery; Sabina Elliott Wells (American, 1876–1943). Vase, 1902–1904. Earthenware, Height: 12 in. (30.5 cm) Diameter of Base: 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 62.151. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Maker
Decorator
Title
Vase
Date
1902–1904
Geography
Place manufactured: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Medium
Earthenware
Classification
Dimensions
Height: 12 in. (30.5 cm) Diameter of Base: 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm)
Signatures
no signature
Inscriptions
no inscriptions
Markings
Impressed on base in blue: "[N within C] Sewells"
Credit Line
Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Accession Number
62.151
Frequent Art Questions
Who made this and when?
This vase was created by Sabina Elliott Wells at Newcomb Pottery, which was established in conjunction with Newcomb College in New Orleans, between 1902-1904. At first, potters were hired to throw the pots and female students supplied the decoration. The enterprise soon became so successful that woman decorators were hired as salaried workers. By 1918 the pottery was moved to the college art building where salaried artisans continued to work and undergraduate students were encouraged to produce individual pieces from start to finish and experiment with glazes.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at