Marla's CeramicsFrom clay to art

Reproduction.

In most mid-century American collectible pottery circles, the word reproduction draws immediate, passionate responses, usually negative. A quick read of posts on the larger cookie jar collector forums will reveal a loathing of ceramic reproductions that has no parallel in any other area of art.

However, most of those who express the strongest feelings about reproduction pottery are using the word “reproduction” when they really mean, “counterfeit”. A counterfeit is a reproduction deliberately mismarked for the sole purpose of confusing the prospective buyer into believing it was made by the original company.

Properly, permanently marked, reproductions pose no threat to collectible ceramics. They can never be confused with the original items, even if they are passed from consumer to consumer. Counterfeits are, rightly so, the scourge of any collectible circle.

Reproductions have always coexisted with art and collectibles. Any desirable painting, sculpture, piece or style of furniture, doll, textile, mosaic, piece of jewelry, ancient treasure, or ceramic piece that is outside of current copyright protection is a candidate for reproduction, if for no other reason than to satisfy the market demand for items that are one of a kind or outside the budget of the masses.

Most collector groups have to wrestle with education about discerning original from reproduction, especially vintage reproductions of their art form. In furniture, for example, reproductions of many period styles are now as collectible as the originals they copied. Serious collectors of period originals have to be very educated about discerning examples from the era they specialize in from later made reproductions. Thousands of dollars are often at stake, so very few people take up collecting antique furniture, jewelry, or paintings casually.

Mid-era collectible ceramics present unique challenges for collectors. The originals were often mass-produced under low-tech conditions with inexpensive materials. They were often colored with simple designs or solid finishes, ideal for quick, easy turnaround in a factory. While there were smaller pottery companies, like the Helen Hutula Company of the 1940’s, whose complex cookie jars have never been reproduced, there were also large manufacturers, like the McCoy Pottery Company, who have drawn more than their share of interest in duplicating their ceramic products.

The designers at McCoy Pottery turned out hundreds of simple, utilitarian, designs that required very little artistic talent to produce. For a factory setting, this was desirable, since it allowed for the easy, uniform creation of the pottery without requiring teams of specialized artists that could be costly to train and maintain.