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Bauer Pottery |
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From a factory in Southern California came eye-catching wares that revolutionized the way Americans set their dinner tables Southern California earned fame with its simply shaped, vividly colored ceramics for the kitchen and table. The turning point for the pottery, which led to the wares that are avidly collected today, came in 1910, when Andy opened a second factory on the outskirts of Los Angeles in a neighborhood noted for its existing potteries, skilled workforce, and active freight rail line. Recognizing the burgeoning bungalow movement, the new factory supplemented its traditional redware with fresh designs intended to appeal to a new generation. By 1916 the J.A. Bauer Pottery Co. had also introduced a line of molded and hand-thrown art pottery vases and bowls, the majority finished in the popular green matte glaze. Bauer Pottery's most recognizable wares were created after Andy's death by Louis Ipsen, who designed the first Bauer Ring-Ware, noted for its ringed or "ruffled" pattern of concentric circles. Produced quickly and efficiently in molds, Ring-Ware brought vibrant, glossy hues of blue, green, yellow, orange, black, and red to tables that had long seen only white. As any Bauer collector can attest, color, style, and condition are critical considerations. As Bauer pottery becomes more popular with collectors, prices are rising, and certain patterns in specific colors can sell for several hundred dollars apiece. Teapots, water pitchers, mixing bowl sets, and cookie jars are especially in demand and, therefore, pricey. Bauer pottery was widely imitated in its time ý most notably, by the Homer Laughlin China Company in its Fiesta Ware line. To add further confusion, some Bauer pieces were marked on the bottom but many weren't.Like a lot of colorful ceramics, glazes for most Bauer dinnerware made before World War II contained lead to make the color appear deeper and more opaque. Because this lead can leach out, especially in contact with acidic food or drink, the FDA recommends limiting the use of antique ceramics to special occasions. Stop using ceramics that show a dusty or chalky gray residue on the surface after being washed. |
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