Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

Arts & Crafts Blush Vase by Adelaide Alsop Robineau for University City

About the Item

“A Robineau vase is a true work of art, unique in conception and perfect in execution, for every piece that left this studio was a labor of love.” – Ethel Brand Wise, The American Magazine of Art, 1929 Adelaide Alsop Robineau was a pioneer in American studio ceramics and excelled as an innovator in pottery both technically and aesthetically. As a young woman of high society in the late Victorian era, she gained early accolades as a skilled watercolorist and china painter and taught for a time at St. Mary’s Hall in Minnesota. In 1899, she married Samuel E. Robineau, a French gentleman and collector of Chinese ceramics. He was deeply intrigued by her talent and steadfastly supported and encouraged her throughout her career. The couple collaborated to produce a popular and influential monthly journal together, Keramic Studio, and went on to build a studio on their property in Syracuse, New York, which they named Four Winds. Robineau would also go on to teach for many years at Syracuse University while creating her own work and raising three children. Early in her career, she studied at Alfred University under Charles Binns, who is widely considered to be the progenitor of contemporary studio ceramics in America. His program established a shift in the craft of ceramics as an academic pursuit, rather than one of apprenticeship. Pottery throwers and the artists who decorated the wares traditionally inhabited separate roles in ceramic manufacture, a practice common in Europe. Binns’ philosophy merged the two, such that the potter had total agency of the final product. This marked a historic divergence in the creation of art pottery – one that Adelaide Robineau fully embraced. Indeed, she became one of the first ceramists, and one of the first women, to throw her own pots. Robineau was greatly inspired by the work and writings of Taxile Doat of Sèvres, France. As she began experimenting with clays and the high temperature method known as Grand Feu, she went from working in stoneware to porcelain. Porcelain is a notoriously technically difficult enterprise for even the simplest of pieces, and she added further complexity to the process by intricately carving many of her works, making them even more difficult to fire. The porcelain-making process was so volatile, in fact, that many of her pieces would burst in the kiln. Ever the tireless and determined innovator, she experimented with and invented many new glazes. She was, in fact, the first American ceramist to apply colored glazes to porcelain. The period between 1909 and 1911 marks an important time in Robineau’s career when she made some of her most exceptional work. Joining other influential potters of the time such as Taxile Doat, Frederick H. Rhead, and Emile Diffloth, she was part of an impressive roster of artists working and teaching at the University City Pottery and Art Institute in Missouri. During this time, she produced what is widely considered her life’s masterpiece, the Scarab Vase – a veritable White Whale of early American ceramics – which was purchased from her husband in 1930 by the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. This seventeen-inch tall, intricately carved magnum opus, complete with a stand and lid, took her 1,000 hours to carve, leading her to dub it The Apotheosis of the Toiler. It won her the esteemed Grand Prize in Ceramics at the 1911 International Exposition in Turin, Italy. Robineau would go on to win several highly sought-after prizes throughout her career, and she garnered almost unanimous praise from critics, collectors, and admirers alike. At the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, Helen Keller handled some of her pieces, and she was reported to have said of one with a wisteria motif: “Seven times fired in the furnace and not found wanting.” Her work was the first of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s purchases when it began collecting American contemporary ceramics in 1922. In 1928, the year before her passing, several of her creations were represented in their International Exhibition of Ceramic Art and in 1929, after her death, she became the first ceramist honored with a retrospective exhibition there. An artist of many firsts, Adelaide Robineau, through her passion, perseverance, and insight, left an indelible mark in the world of American ceramics. Widely recognized as a leader in her field, she left a celebrated legacy and continues to inspire collectors and potters worldwide. - Rago
  • Creator:
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 3 in (7.62 cm)Width: 2 in (5.08 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
  • Style:
    Arts and Crafts (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Porcelain,Glazed
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
    1910-1919
  • Date of Manufacture:
    c. 1910
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Chicago, US
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU7300238310202

More From This Seller

View All
Arts & Crafts Ochre Vase by Adelaide Alsop Robineau
By Adelaide Alsop Robineau
Located in Chicago, US
Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the default quote does not include packing and insurance. 1stDibs shipping provides a level of value, protection, and care that aligns with our commitment to safeguarding historic artworks and providing excellent client service. “A Robineau vase is a true work of art, unique in conception and perfect in execution, for every piece that left this studio was a labor of love.” – Ethel Brand Wise, The American Magazine of Art, 1929 Adelaide Alsop Robineau was a pioneer in American studio ceramics and excelled as an innovator in pottery both technically and aesthetically. As a young woman of high society in the late Victorian era, she gained early accolades as a skilled watercolorist and china painter and taught for a time at St. Mary’s Hall in Minnesota. In 1899, she married Samuel E. Robineau, a French gentleman and collector of Chinese ceramics. He was deeply intrigued by her talent and steadfastly supported and encouraged her throughout her career. The couple collaborated to produce a popular and influential monthly journal together, Keramic Studio, and went on to build a studio on their property in Syracuse, New York, which they named Four Winds. Robineau would also go on to teach for many years at Syracuse University while creating her own work and raising three children. Early in her career, she studied at Alfred University under Charles Binns, who is widely considered to be the progenitor of contemporary studio ceramics in America. His program established a shift in the craft of ceramics as an academic pursuit, rather than one of apprenticeship. Pottery throwers and the artists who decorated the wares traditionally inhabited separate roles in ceramic manufacture, a practice common in Europe. Binns’ philosophy merged the two, such that the potter had total agency of the final product. This marked a historic divergence in the creation of art pottery – one that Adelaide Robineau...
Category

Vintage 1910s American Arts and Crafts Vases

Materials

Porcelain

Arts & Crafts Scarab Vase by Adelaide Alsop Robineau
By Adelaide Alsop Robineau
Located in Chicago, US
Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the default quote does not include packing and insurance. 1stDibs shipping provides a level of value, protection, and care that aligns with our commitment to safeguarding historic artworks and providing excellent client service. “A Robineau vase is a true work of art, unique in conception and perfect in execution, for every piece that left this studio was a labor of love.” – Ethel Brand Wise, The American Magazine of Art, 1929 Adelaide Alsop Robineau was a pioneer in American studio ceramics and excelled as an innovator in pottery both technically and aesthetically. As a young woman of high society in the late Victorian era, she gained early accolades as a skilled watercolorist and china painter and taught for a time at St. Mary’s Hall in Minnesota. In 1899, she married Samuel E. Robineau, a French gentleman and collector of Chinese ceramics. He was deeply intrigued by her talent and steadfastly supported and encouraged her throughout her career. The couple collaborated to produce a popular and influential monthly journal together, Keramic Studio, and went on to build a studio on their property in Syracuse, New York, which they named Four Winds. Robineau would also go on to teach for many years at Syracuse University while creating her own work and raising three children. Early in her career, she studied at Alfred University under Charles Binns, who is widely considered to be the progenitor of contemporary studio ceramics in America. His program established a shift in the craft of ceramics as an academic pursuit, rather than one of apprenticeship. Pottery throwers and the artists who decorated the wares traditionally inhabited separate roles in ceramic manufacture, a practice common in Europe. Binns’ philosophy merged the two, such that the potter had total agency of the final product. This marked a historic divergence in the creation of art pottery – one that Adelaide Robineau...
Category

Vintage 1910s American Arts and Crafts Vases

Materials

Porcelain

Arts & Crafts Crystalline Cerulean Vase by Adelaide Alsop Robineau
By Adelaide Alsop Robineau
Located in Chicago, US
Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the default quote does not include packing and insurance. 1stDibs shipping provides a level of value, protection, and care that aligns with our commitment to safeguarding historic artworks and providing excellent client service. “A Robineau vase is a true work of art, unique in conception and perfect in execution, for every piece that left this studio was a labor of love.” – Ethel Brand Wise, The American Magazine of Art, 1929 Adelaide Alsop Robineau was a pioneer in American studio ceramics and excelled as an innovator in pottery both technically and aesthetically. As a young woman of high society in the late Victorian era, she gained early accolades as a skilled watercolorist and china painter and taught for a time at St. Mary’s Hall in Minnesota. In 1899, she married Samuel E. Robineau, a French gentleman and collector of Chinese ceramics. He was deeply intrigued by her talent and steadfastly supported and encouraged her throughout her career. The couple collaborated to produce a popular and influential monthly journal together, Keramic Studio, and went on to build a studio on their property in Syracuse, New York, which they named Four Winds. Robineau would also go on to teach for many years at Syracuse University while creating her own work and raising three children. Early in her career, she studied at Alfred University under Charles Binns, who is widely considered to be the progenitor of contemporary studio ceramics in America. His program established a shift in the craft of ceramics as an academic pursuit, rather than one of apprenticeship. Pottery throwers and the artists who decorated the wares traditionally inhabited separate roles in ceramic manufacture, a practice common in Europe. Binns’ philosophy merged the two, such that the potter had total agency of the final product. This marked a historic divergence in the creation of art pottery – one that Adelaide Robineau...
Category

Vintage 1910s American Arts and Crafts Vases

Materials

Porcelain

Lizard Vase by Eduard Stellmacher for RStK Amphora
By Eduard Stellmacher, Amphora
Located in Chicago, US
Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the defau...
Category

Antique Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Vases

Materials

Earthenware

Windswept Maiden Vase by Lajos Mack for Zsolnay
By Zsolnay, Lajos Mack
Located in Chicago, US
Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the defau...
Category

Antique 1890s Hungarian Art Nouveau Bottles

Materials

Earthenware

Pair of Secession Vases by Lajos Mack for Zsolnay
By Zsolnay, Lajos Mack
Located in Chicago, US
Established in 1853 by Miklós Zsolnay, Zsolnay began as a small business producing basic stoneware and earthenware. Ten years later Miklós’ son, Vilmos, joined the company and led it...
Category

Antique 1890s Hungarian Art Nouveau Bottles

Materials

Earthenware

You May Also Like

Elegant Crystalline Glaze Porcelain Vase, University City, Taxile Doat
By Taxile Doat
Located in Riverdale, NY
Elegant thrown porcelain vase with an expansive and vibrant aquamarine crystalline glaze on a sand colored base by master French ceramist Taxile Doat, from the University City Porcelain...
Category

Vintage 1910s American Arts and Crafts Vases

Materials

Porcelain

Vintage Arts & Crafts Style Pottery Vase
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage "arts & crafts" style pottery vase, circa 1950s. Wonderful bluish green colors and a great vintage patina make this a wonderful decor piece! It is in very good vintage condit...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Arts and Crafts Vases

Materials

Pottery

Arts & Crafts Vaseline Glass Fluted Vase
By John Walsh Walsh
Located in Petworth, GB
Arts & Crafts large vaseline glass vase with opaline iris pattern Fan shaped with fluted top and circular base John Walsh Walsh Circa 1900 Height 15cm. Width 21cm. Depth 10cm Jo...
Category

Antique Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Vases

Materials

Opaline Glass

Christopher Dresser for Ault Arts & Crafts Green Bud Shaped Vase
By Christopher Dresser
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A stylish Ault Arts & Crafts green glazed bud shaped vase designed by Dr Christopher Dresser and made by renowned English potter William Ault (British, 1842-1929) dating from around ...
Category

Antique 1890s English Arts and Crafts Vases

Materials

Ceramic

Antique Arts & Crafts Pottery Vase by Rookwood Pottery Company
By Rookwood Pottery Co.
Located in San Diego, CA
Antique "arts & crafts" pottery vase by Rookwood Pottery Co., circa early 1900s. Wonderful matte green colors and a great vintage patina make this hard to find vase a wonderful decor...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Vases

Materials

Pottery

Adelaide I Medium White Vase by Xie Dong for Driade
By Xie Dong, Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
As she experimented with different materials, and due to a special technique, Xie Dong has mandaged to ruffle, and almost pleat, ceramics. She's a true artist, able to translate a de...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Vases

Materials

Porcelain

Recently Viewed

View All