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Pottery Vases Crafted By Gifted Tulane Artist Hold Their Value

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By JAY MOORE, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 16, 2008

My Newcomb pottery vase belonged to my grandmother. A friend of mine, who was enrolled in the pottery program at Tulane University in New Orleans, told me she believes it was made by Sadie Irvine.

It stands about 12 inches high and has a faint oval mark and the letter "S." It pictures a landscape with a blue-green glaze. It is in very good condition. I would like to know its value.

M.S.

Midlothian, Va.

In 1894, Tulane developed a vocational program for women designed to teach gifted artists how to turn their talent into a business. It came at a time when women had few choices: work in a sweatshop or become a homemaker.
Experts report that students and teachers at Newcomb College Institute between 1894 and 1940 made thousands of pieces of pottery. The prolific artist Sadie Irvine trained at Newcomb and taught there until 1952. She died in 1970.

This vase appears to have been made in the mid-1920s. It was tough to make out the details in your photograph, and you did not include a copy of the mark. If it were in excellent condition, it would retail for at least $2,000.

The record price for a rare piece of Newcomb pottery was achieved at an auction in New Orleans in 2006. It sold for $108,400 (including buyer's fee). The previous record was $82,500 at a New Orleans auction in 2000.

My early Victorian settee was given to me by my mother, who inherited it from her great-grandmother. It originally was covered in black horsehair but was reupholstered and refinished 50 years ago. It again was re-covered in the 1980s. What is its age and value?

K.R.

This carved-walnut Victorian sofa was made between 1865 and 1870. There are all sorts of popular nomenclature for this style of sofa, including (but not limited to) medallion back, mirror back and triple back.

The sofas usually were part of a parlor suite that included a large armchair, an armless chair and several small side chairs. The inexpensive pieces were factory-made of walnut with horsehair upholstery.

For historical reasons, it is a pity that the sofa does not retain its original horsehair upholstery and finish. Horsehair was dark and slippery, so many pieces were redone between the 1940s and '60s.

It would retail for about $495.

Have a question about antiques? E-mail a complete description with a clear digital image (.jpg file) to athome@tampatrib.com. Include a name, address and daytime phone number. Regular mail can be sent with clear photographs (plain-paper prints or Polaroid

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