Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

American, 1906-2008

The son of a commercial potter in Sebring, Ohio, Viktor Schreckengost learned the craft of sculpting in clay from his father. In the mid-1920s, he enrolled at the Cleveland School of Art (now the Cleveland Institute of Art, or CIA) to study cartoon making, but after seeing an exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art he changed his focus to ceramics. Upon graduation in 1929, he studied ceramics in Vienna, Austria, where he began to build a reputation, not only for his art, but also as a jazz saxophonist. A year later, at the age of 25, he became the youngest faculty member at the CIA. In 1931, Schreckengost won the first of several awards for excellence in ceramics at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and his works were shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, and elsewhere. By the mid-1930s, Schreckengost had begun to pursue his interest in industrial design. For American Limoges, he created the first modern mass-produced dinnerware, called Americana. Along with engineer Ray Spiller, Schreckengost designed the first-cab-over-engine truck for Cleveland's White Motor Company. By the end of the decade, he had designed the first Mercury Bicycle for Murray, Ohio. In 1939, the bicycle and "The Four Elements" in clay were displayed at the New York World's Fair. In the 1940s, Schreckengost's designs for children's pedal cars (as well as bicycles and toys) helped Murray, Ohio become the world's largest manufacturer of pedal cars. His design and ceramic work was interrupted by World War II, when he was recruited by the Navy to develop a system for radar recognition that won him the Secretary of Navy's commendation. After the war, Schreckengost resumed his industrial design career creating products for Murray, Sears, General Electric, Salem China Company, and Harris Printing, among others. Approximately 100 million of his bicycles were manufactured by Murray, making it the largest bicycle-maker in the world. He retired from industrial design in 1972, but continued teaching at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Biography from the Archives of askART In June, 2006, Viktor Schreckengost celebrated his 100th birthday in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Of him at this event, it was written: Viktor Schreckengost, a prolific designer whose works ranging from toys, ceramics and paintings to dinnerware and trucks, have touched countless lives, expects his next inspiration to come at any time. . . (he) always seemed to know what to create by responding to needs---like improving the ride of a child's wagon or making user-friendly tableware with an artistic flair." To recognize his birthday, more than 130 galleries and museums featured his work the summer of 2006 in a "National Centennial Exhibition" that paid tribute to his legacy that "includes generations of students who became designers who shaped the output of industrial America in the post World-War II era." In February 2008, Victor Schreckengost died at age 101 at Tallahassee, Florida, where he was spending the winter.

Creator: Viktor Schreckengost

Viktor Schreckengost Vase with Fish Cowan Pottery

$12,000

Viktor Schreckengost Vase with Fish Cowan Pottery

By Viktor Schreckengost, Cowan Pottery

Located in Chicago, IL

Viktor Schreckengost Vase with Fish for Cowan Pottery Drypoint decorated glazed earthenware Size : 6½ h × 5½ w in Impressed studio mark to underside ‘Cowan’. Literature: Cowan Potter...

Category

1930s American Vintage Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Earthenware

Pair Of Vintage Red Flambe Glaze Pottery Fish Vases

$395 / set

H 9.5 in W 7.5 in D 2.75 in

Pair Of Vintage Red Flambe Glaze Pottery Fish Vases

Located in Bridgeport, CT

Pair of vintage vibrant, red flambe glaze pottery fish vases, likely mid-century designs, with a distinctive "wide mouth" design and carp-like appearance. The fish with intricate sca...

Category

20th Century Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Pottery

Japanese Pottery Vase

$1,650

H 6.38 in W 6.88 in D 3 in

Japanese Pottery Vase

Located in New York, NY

A very beautiful white to off-white round Japanese pottery vase, late Modern/Art Deco period, circa early-20th century Japan, 1921-1941. Vase has a ...

Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Art Deco Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Ceramic, Pottery

Viktor Schreckengost Styled Fiberglass Horse Bust on Hardwood Base

$750Sale Price|40% Off

H 26 in W 20 in D 16.5 in

Viktor Schreckengost Styled Fiberglass Horse Bust on Hardwood Base

By Viktor Schreckengost

Located in Van Nuys, CA

Viktor Schreckengost-styled fiberglass maroon horse bust on a hardwood base. Dimensions: -Sculpture- Height: 26" Width: 16" Depth: 5" -With Base- Height: 26" Width: 20" Depth: 16.5"

Category

1970s American Art Deco Vintage Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Fiberglass, Hardwood

1997 Modern Blue and Green Fish Pottery Ceramic Vase

$125

H 8.75 in Dm 4.5 in

1997 Modern Blue and Green Fish Pottery Ceramic Vase

Located in Chula Vista, CA

For your consideration, 1997 Modern Blue and Green Fish Pottery Vase. Hand painted colorful fish design. Signed at bottom. M M 97. Dimensions: 8.75"...

Category

1990s American Modern Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Pottery

California Studio Pottery Vase with Dimpled Sides

$220Sale Price|20% Off

H 8.75 in Dm 4.5 in

California Studio Pottery Vase with Dimpled Sides

Located in San Diego, CA

A California studio pottery vase with dimpled sides circa 1960s. This very unique piece measures: 4.5"D x 8.75"H and is unsigned. It is in ve...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Pottery

Studio Pottery Bud Vase With 4 Openings

$290

H 5 in W 5 in D 5 in

Studio Pottery Bud Vase With 4 Openings

Located in Philadelphia, PA

Globular stoneware bud vase with four tubular openings, variegated olive and brown ash glaze with brushed banding, signed on base.

Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Ceramic

Ebb Tide Vase Fish & Shell Pink Speckled Ceramic Vase by Hull Pottery

$165Sale Price|40% Off

H 11 in W 7.5 in D 7.5 in

Ebb Tide Vase Fish & Shell Pink Speckled Ceramic Vase by Hull Pottery

Located in Van Nuys, CA

Original Mid-century Ebb Tide Vase Fish Shell Pink Speckled Ceramic by Hull Pottery. The vase features a beautifully detailed pink angel fish wrapped around a cone-shaped shell vase ...

Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Ceramic

Art Deco Pottery Vase with Ram Heads, 1920s

$436

H 6.3 in Dm 4.73 in

Art Deco Pottery Vase with Ram Heads, 1920s

Located in Esbjerg, DK

Early 1920s painted pottery vase sculpted with ram heads. Its in the style of Karl Hansen Reistrup and often assumed being made by Michael Andersen and Son. But it was actually made by Knabstrup who were basically neighbors to Kähler in Næstved, Denmark. The ware you see in the photos is actually spots were the shallow paint...

Category

1920s Danish Art Deco Vintage Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Pottery

Blue Fishes Medium Vase

$757 / item

H 12.21 in W 7.09 in D 5.52 in

Blue Fishes Medium Vase

Located in Paris, FR

Vase Blue Fishes Medium with all structure in porcelain, hand-painted porcelain and with solid bronze base and details.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Bronze

Fish Shaped Vases

$1,800 / item

H 18 in W 17 in D 4 in

Fish Shaped Vases

Located in New York, NY

Pair of Mid-Century Italian glazed porcelain fish shaped vases. Measurements Height: 18" Width/length: 17"

Category

1950s Unknown Vintage Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Porcelain

Monumental Etched Glass Vase with Gold Fish Overlay

$505Sale Price|40% Off

H 12 in W 9.5 in D 9.5 in

Monumental Etched Glass Vase with Gold Fish Overlay

Located in Van Nuys, CA

The artistry and design of this piece are truly stunning. Featuring a clear glass body with intricate texturing, highlighted by delicate gold overlay bands around the top and bottom,...

Category

1930s Vintage Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Glass

Art Deco Matte Yellow and Glossy Blue Ceramic Console Bowl by Cowan Pottery

$275

H 4.63 in W 12.38 in D 8 in

Art Deco Matte Yellow and Glossy Blue Ceramic Console Bowl by Cowan Pottery

By Cowan Pottery

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Frond-form pedestal console bowl/centerpiece by Cowan Pottery (ca. late 1920s/early 1930s, Ohio, USA). Cowan was perhaps most recognized for producing the Viktor Schreckengost-design...

Category

1930s American Art Deco Vintage Viktor Schreckengost Vases and Vessels

Materials

Ceramic

Viktor Schreckengost vases and vessels for sale on 1stDibs.

Viktor Schreckengost vases and vessels are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of earthenware and are designed with extraordinary care. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider vases and vessels by Roseville Pottery, Gorham Manufacturing Company, and Claude Conover. Prices for Viktor Schreckengost vases and vessels can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $12,000 and can go as high as $12,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $12,000.