Pisgah Forest Stoneware Vase

Pisgah Forest large matte green and pink baluster form vase, indiscernible "Potter At Wheel" mark on base.

Condition: Some small exterior chips from inclusions in firing, interior has two larger chips.

Material: Stoneware

Period: 20th century

Dimensions: 10.5"H x 6.5" diameter

Inventory# V26138

Pisgah Forest Pottery was founded in 1926 by Walter B. Stephen (1876-1961) near Asheville, North Carolina. In 1913, working in a crude shop in Skyland, he began the area’s, and the state’s, first art pottery-- Nonconnah Pottery-- just off Hendersonville Road. Here in the mountains, he found a tourist market along with abundant clays and minerals. Despite its lack of commercial success, Nonconnah was a vital experimental period where Stephen refined the glaze techniques and forms that would later define his career.  

A key figure in the American Arts and Crafts movement, Stephen moved away from traditional functional stoneware to focus on decorative art pottery. He became nationally recognized for his technical skill, particularly his mastery of complex crystalline and colorful matte glazes. His work successfully transitioned North Carolina from the rural utility into the realm of fine art. While Stephen also produced “cameo” ware featuring raised pioneer scenes, his high-glaze and crystalline vessels are equally prized for their technique and color.

Each piece is marked on the base with an iconic stamp featuring a potter at a wheel and the silhouette of Mt. Pisgah. Because Stephen produced his work in small batches with a focus on glaze chemistry and form, these pieces are highly sought after by Southern pottery collectors. Today, Pisgah Forest Pottery is represented in major institutions, including the Smithsonian and the Mint Museum.