Thursday, July 25, 2013

Found: Orphaned Mexican Duck. Any Information will be Appreciated

          

We stopped at a garage sale this Fourth of July weekend and even before I got out of the car I spotted this beautiful Mexican pottery duck.

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The sale had been going on for a few hours but nobody else saw anything special about this exquisite duck. (IMHO) I loved her at first sight.  She’s HUGE by most Mexican pottery bird/duck standards:  15 inches long by almost eight inches wide.  She’s about 10 inches tall to the top of her head.
I thought at first she might be a Ken Edwards piece, but she’s signed “Mateos Mexico.”  I’ve seen this kind of pottery many times, but nothing so big.  And I didn’t know the Mateos name.  So I went looking.

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I couldn’t find much about my guy Mateos, but I think I can pinpoint this piece to the potteries in Tonala, Guadalajara.  At least I hope that’s where it came from, maybe because of this:
This small town on the edge of Guadalajara is an absolute goldmine of potters and pottery and has been an important pottery center going back 3,000 years. When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived on the scene in 1530 they promptly named Tonala the “Factory of Paganism” as it was then a center of production for the clay idols worshipped in surrounding villages.
Nothing like that pagan art!

I found a few mentions of a Tonala potter named Mateos, but most of them came from eBay descriptions so I couldn’t confirm.  However, I found a tantalizing clue on a blog called Jim and Carole’s Mexico Adventure.
[Salvador Vasquez Carmona] is teaching his craft to his sons and also has instructed numerous apprentices who later became significant ceramic artists in  their own right. One of these, Juan Antonio Mateos, showed up at 7:00 AM for his first day as instructed. After two hours Sr. Vazquez showed up and opened the shop. This same scenario went on for several days. Finally the apprentice asked why he was told to come at 7:00 when work didn’t begin until 9:00.  Sr. Vazquez told him that it was a test of his seriousness. Sr. Mateos later became a gifted potter in his own right.
Is this my Mateos?  Again, I hope so.  I’m under no illusions that my beautiful duck is a precious work of art.  No, I’ve actually found a piece very similar in design and size on eBay.  These were probably done for the tourist and/or retail trade, but I’m okay with that.  Beauty is beauty wherever you find it.

I do want to know who made it and when it was made.  I’m mad for anything vintage, so I hope it’s at least from the Seventies.  I have a feeling it’s fairly new, though.  The glaze appears fresh and there are no signs of staining or grime or cracking.  (Cracking on the unglazed bottom is expected on old Mexican pottery, I’ve heard).

So if you know anything more about her, please let me know.  Anything at all.  We’ll be fine, the both of us, with whatever you might come up with.

But isn’t it amazing that mi pata hermosa de México looks so at home in my up north cabin?  (I think she’s going to be very happy here.)


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Thursday, July 19, 2012

Fenton Glasswork's Last Days

My husband and I were on our way south at the end of December when I saw that we were going to be passing very close to the Fenton Glass Factory in Williamstown, West Virginia.  When we got closer I saw the signs advertising factory tours and I felt as if a dream had come true. I had always wanted to see where those beautiful pieces of art glass were made, so I was really excited about being able to see how this gorgeous stuff is made.

It wasn't until we pulled into the near-empty parking lot that I remembered the stories I had read about the trials and tribulations of the Fenton company.

Cutting to the chase, the sad truth is that art glass is no longer being made at the Fenton factory.  There is a small glass bead-making section on-site, and the gift shop is still selling old stock, but the adjacent factory is silent and the employee parking lot is near empty.


Fenton Art Glass factory - closed now
Fenton Art Glass gift shop
Fenton gift shop display
Fenton Aqua glass display
Fenton reds historical display
Fenton modern
My mother loved Fenton glass but could only afford a few pieces over the years.  (But that didn't stop her from coveting it.)   I wasn't really a glass person myself, until I inherited her few pieces and realized how gorgeous they really are.

Fenton satin glass Butterfly Bonbon dish
Fenton hobnail vase
In my travels as a seller I found the gorgeous piece below.  (And yes, I'm sorry I ever sold it!)


Fenton Emerald Thumbprint pitcher


The heyday of art glass (and pottery) making in the U.S is apparently over.  I wish that weren't so, but lucky for us the beautiful pieces were produced in such quantities they're still available to anyone who wants quality and beauty in outstanding American products.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

I made my first Treasury today!

I keep watching everyone make the most gorgeous treasuries on Etsy and I've always wanted to try it but I thought it would be really hard.  I remember when I first started on Etsy a couple of years ago how hard it was to even get a treasury on once it was made, but I finally decided to try one today.  It was about the most fun I've had in a long time, and it was very easy once I figured out what I was doing.

I chose a Polka Dot theme but as I was going through the polka dot listings I found I was drawn to the red, black and white ones and that's what I concentrated on.  It took about an hour to put it together, and then, just as I was about to save it, I somehow lost the entire page!   Aaaaagh!

So I started all over again, remembering some I had done, but finding other, new ones I actually liked even better.  When I finally hit the "save" button, I thought it was going to take me to a holding place, but lo and behold--my treasury was up!

Here it is: 

'Vintage On the Dot' by deerpathvintage

I'm dotty for dots. Maybe because my BFF in HS was Dot. Or because I love the Polka. Or because I grew up in the polka dot era. Did I mention that I love the Polka?


vintage 80s FUJIMORI FO...

$15.00

vintage EMBELLiSHED BOW...

$30.00

6 ceramic lady bug bead...

$4.50

vintage 1950s halsam dr...

$8.75

Vintage 40's style ...

$52.00

Vintage Shirley Temple ...

$650.00

Dancing Articulated Clo...

$8.00

Vintage 1950s Red Half ...

$45.00

Vintage Oh Dot pillow

$40.00

Adorable Vintage Button...

$12.00

Polka Dots & Ruffles -...

$12.00

VINTAGE Minnie Mouse Wh...

$26.00

Black and White Polka D...

$31.00

White Black Polka Dot C...

$40.00

Clowns Scare Me Clown P...

$14.99

Vintage PRIMARY DOTS Sc...

$8.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.


Soooo. . . . now that I've done one of them I'm going to be wanting to do more.  (This treasury included several pieces from the Etsy Vintage Team.  I think I'll do my next one to include pieces from Vintage Village.  Not surprisingly two of my favorite places.)

Mona

Monday, December 27, 2010

Etsy makes the New York Times!

Hi All,  there was a story about Etsy in the New York Times yesterday, and I'm envisioning lollipops and big sales coming for all us Etsians  (they even mentioned Vintage!), so I've opened my store early in hopes that someone from NYTville will come looking my way.  (It was originally going to be closed until 1/10/11.)

Just wish I had more in my store right now, but I'm traveling south and just couldn't bring it all with me.  I'll be adding things after I get there, and I'll be putting some of my already-offered things back on in April, but for right now, it's limited (but still nice!)

Happy New Year, everyone, and the best year to follow.



Sunday, December 5, 2010

Holiday Sale at Deer Path Vintage!

Big News!  Everything in my shop is marked at 15% off right now.  Please note that the prices already reflect the discount.

The website "Etsy on Sale" has a new app where we can discount any or everything in our shops when we're having a sale and it shows up on our Etsy pages.  Nice! (They also create a page just for our shop listings--extra nice!)

Please note that the sale ends on December 20, which is also the date I'll be putting some of my items in hibernation until spring. (I'm a snowbird heading south then, and I can't take my whole shop with me, so if there is anything you're interested in, it's time to buy it now.  I will be adding different items once I get to my winter digs, so please keep watching. . .)


. . .Happy Holidays. Stay safe, stay well, stay happy.

Mona



Gorgeous Gift of the Month




This beautiful glass vase was made by Bengt Edenfalk for Skruf Sweden some time between 1953 and 1978. It is shaped like a rustic log round and is in absolutely perfect condition. Each side is slightly different.

Measures just over 5 inches tall. Signature is etched into glass above the Skruf logo.

See it in my shop here.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Hooray! Etsy Coupons for the Holidays

Big News!  Etsy has developed an easy way to provide coupons to our buyers, and I'm happy to be able to offer them just in time for the holidays.

Every item in my Etsy shop is now 15% off with the coupon code HOLIDAY2010.  You can add the code on the invoice page and the amount will automatically be adjusted to reflect the discount.  The coupon is good until December 20, which is also the date I'll be putting some of my items in hibernation until spring.  (I'm a snowbird heading south then, and I can't take my whole shop with me, so if there is anything you're interested in, it's time to buy it now.   I will be adding different items once I get to my winter digs, so please keep watching. . .)

. . .Happy Holidays.  Stay safe, stay well, stay happy.

Mona



Gorgeous Gift of the Month

This beautiful glass vase was made by Bengt Edenfalk for Skruf Sweden some time between 1953 and 1978. It is shaped like a rustic log round and is in absolutely perfect condition. Each side is slightly different.

Measures just over 5 inches tall. Signature is etched into glass above the Skruf logo.
See it in my shop here.