Potteries of British Columbia
British Columbia pottery of the mid-late 20th century displays distinct themes of the West Coast natural world, of West Coast Native spiritual and cultural designs, of the great Pacific Ocean. It is glorious in colour, organic in shapes, and grounded in land and sea. The following potteries are a few of B.C.s better-known pottery manufacturers, with a studio pottery or two thrown in. These pages are by no means complete, but I have tried to pull together here what is known about BC pottery and the research resources where more in-depth info can be found:
Royal Ariston (Importex Company & BC Ceramics)
Íneke (Studio)
BC Ceramics: Herta – West Coast Indian Design “Eagle”
Lambert Potteries #21 Killer Whale (Killerwhale) plate
Ineke – applied Dogwood
I have a pitcher/ewer/jug that has been suggested might be Herta Gertz (Gerz?) Pottery. It is white with a yellow heart “flower” and trailing stems with yellow flowers on the ends. I have looked through dozens of pictures of Gertz pitchers, but haven’t seen one like mine. The style vaguely resembles some of the taller Gertz pitchers, but it is more squat and plump than a Gertz pitcher. My initial thought was that it might be Purinton Pottery, but I’ve never seen that pattern on Purinton. There are no markings to help identify. Might you have a suggestion of where I can look for identification for this piece? I can send a photo if necessary. Thank you in advance for any assistance you might be able to give.
Sorry for the late reply. Summers are rather hectic, as you can imagine. A photo of the vase and the base would help, although I’m not sure i’d know even then. It’s worth a try though.
Maria