Early Glazes
Which Are Otherwise Undefined

Including:
Mountain Craig

NOTE:
Not ALL early glazes are in this category! For example, early white glazes will be under "white," early Mulberry will be under "mulberry," etc.

Ming Blue

Ming Blue can commonly be found as either a single overall glaze application, or in combination with a darker blue highlight or overspray glaze. Less commonly, Ming Blue may be seen with rose or other colored highlights.

Early Ming Blue	1906 Ming Blue	1914 Ming Blue	Late Teens Light Ming Blue*
Watch for an example of this glaze.	Turquoise glaze, likely a version of Ming Blue.	A beautiful example of teens ming blue, complete with typical early imperfections which give it character.	Light - almost translucent - glaze application, with small areas of darker blue and mulberry highlights - also of the same translucent character.

Teens or 1920's Ming Blue	1920's Ming Blue	1920's Ming Blue	1930's Ming Blue
Dirty Bottom with dark blue overspray. Note difference between general "overspray" above and "highlights" at right, which more closely follow design in the later 1920's.	Dirty Bottom with dark blue highlights. This is a very typical color scheme for Ming Blue in the 1920's (particularly the "dirty bottom" era) and may feature even more tightly focused use of the blue highlights, applied more selectively but just as intensely to the pottery's areas of relief.	After 1926, the application of Ming Blue became more standardized, heavy highlighting pretty much disappeared for more subtle highlighting, Hand thrown pieces like this example most frequently appearing with a good amount of darker blue overspray.	Seen frequently in the 1930's and 1940's is an application of Ming Blue which all but disappears toward the bottom of the piece. In this example, there is dark blue overspray at the top, with Ming blue in the center, fading to the clay color.

1940's - 1960's Ming Blue	1970's - 1980's Ming Blue	1990's Ming Blue	Year Ming Blue
This period is remarkably similar to the application of the same colors in the late 1920's. Often the only way to tell them apart is examination of the clay type, bottom markings, and the possible presence of more pronounced crazing in older pieces.	Often seen during this period as a single glaze and more heavily applied, without the usual dark blue oversprays and highlights.	Another example of the spare use of darker highlight blue, as it continued in the 90's. Like a bartender jealously dripping vermoth into a dry martini, the glazers in the 1990's seem to have preferred the eye to only get a hint of the dark blue overspray.	Watch for an example of this glaze.

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Mulberry & "Rose"

Including:
Persian Rose,
Desert Rose
Dusty Rose

1903 Mulberry	Early Mulberry	1914 Light Mulberry*	1915 Mulberry
Mulberry with green highlights, with clay showing through relief.	Watch for an example of this glaze.	With heavy overspray of a blue-tinted white glaze. Possibly white with elements of Ming Blue added, although some similar pieces display much more green in the white. This is a fairly common glaze combination from the period, and there were many slight variations of tinted white highlight colors on top of light mulberry.	Deep Mulberry, showing the wide range of tone which early glazes took on.

1922-1926 Mulberry	Late 1920's Mulberry	Late 1920's Mulberry	1930's - Early 40's Mulberry
Classic USA period dark, rich Mulberry with deep maroon overspray.	Later 1920's (after 1926) Mulberry with Blue Overspray. Lighter in overall character than some earlier Mulberry.	Watch for an example of this glaze.	Watch for a description of glazes from this period.

1930's - Early 40's Mulberry	Late 1940's Persian Rose	1950's - 1960's Persian Rose	1982-1983 Desert Rose
Little if any overspray in this example, though it is still used extensively in the 30's and 40's. Note that although the color is still Mulberry, it has begun to shift toward what would later be called "Persian Rose."	Begun in 1946, Persian Rose sometimes seemed as dark as Mulberry, especially in it's early months of production. By the mid 1946, however, Persian Rose had stablized into it's new and distinctive hue.	Persian Rose was discontinued in 1968, later re-introduced, and is in production today.	Desert Rose continued the trend toward a more "dusty" looking rose color, although many pieces looked strikingly similar to the old Persian Rose.

1989 Dusty Rose	1989 Dusty Rose	2005 Persian Rose	2006 Persian Rose
Introduced in 1988, and no longer in production. Like the other colors in the line, it varies from a bit darker, to a bit lighter - almost a pinkish white. Note the continued - but lighter - use of blue highlights.	Note in this example of the same year as the previous example, the heavier use of Ming Blue as an overspray.	Not sure exactly when Van Briggle broght back their secod most popular glaze, after it's premature retirement in 1968, and "dusting down" into desert and then dusty rose. But in this 2005 example, it's back looking like it did when first introduced as the heir to Mulberry in 1946.	Watch for an example of this glaze.

In 1946, several dramatic changes occurred at Van Briggle Pottery as it re-opened after WWII. One of the most visible was the introduction of Persian Rose glaze, which replaced the generally darker Mulberry glaze. If your pottery LOOKS like Mulberry, but has post-1946 bottom markings, it is likely Persian Rose... although it may look like the older glaze.

This is one of the most confusing aspects of dating mid-century Van Briggle Pottery.... and it's easy to understand why. Even experts get confused.

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White glaze in differing formulations appears to have been produced from the outset by Van Briggle.

In 1946, a more opaque white glaze was introduced as Moonglo, and thereafter Moonglo became the trademark Van Briggle white glaze.

Year Color*	Year Color*	1906 Ivory*	Year Color*
With the classic light green overspray	Watch for an example of this glaze.	White or ivory, transitioning to light violet at bottom.	Watch for an example of this glaze.

Teens White	1946 - 60's Moonglo	1979 Moonglo	1985 Iceberg
Early VB glazes included many shades and combinations of white, often combined with colorful oversprays and highlights.	Re-introduced in 1946, Van Briggle's new white was named "Moonglo."	In 1979, Moonglo's chemistry was altered to produce a more opaque white glaze. The white clay body in use when Moonglo was re-introduced in 1946 was no longer in use after 1970, and the new, darker clay body often showed through the old Moonglo formula.	Added character was added for a few years (1983 - 1988), by adding a slight blue tint to the white, and often adding blue highlights in crevasses and low points of relief, to add "depth" to this version of Moonglo, evoking the sense of looking into deep ice on an iceberg.

Year Moonglo	1987 - 1988 Moonglo Mist	1993 Moonglo	Year Moonglo
Watch for an example of this glaze.	Using the moonglo altered in 1979, this version used an overspray of blue - often as highlights on the high points of design relief - the exact opposite application as made on Iceberg.	Was there a re-formulation (again) of plain old Moonglo in the late 80's or early 90's? If not, this is another example - with unique lighting - that gives it a distinctly brighter look.	Watch for an example of this glaze.

After a long absence, Van Briggle's white glaze was re-engineered largely by a gentleman by the name of Mr. McDermott (first name unknown) during the "idle" years of WWII,and was re-introduced in 1946 as Moonglo, likely with the help of newly hired Master Potter Clem Hull. Mr. McDermott's new formula was more opaque and adhered better to the clay during firing.

During 1946 Clem's father, physicist Walter Austin Hull, also consulted for Van Briggle and the two likely had some input into the two major glazes introduced during that year: Persian Rose and Moonglo (Clem Hull later developed the Gold Ore Glaze for Van Briggle). Walter Hull had been honored in WWI for his work with cement and ceramics for the United States Navy, and founded Hull Santa Fe Pottery in New Mexico.

Mr. McDermott is credited with keeping Van Briggle Pottery "alive" during the desperate war years. It was widely reported to have been mothballed during WWII, but the elderly Mr. McDermott (according to Master Potter Fred Wills) performed many necessary functions which kept the pottery from falling into disrepair as America shut down non-vital services and threw itself into defending the world from Adolph Hitler's socialist party and Japan's Warlords. Ironically, physicist Walter Austin Hull, his son Clem, and Clem's wife Fran, all helped shorten that war, as they each worked on the Manhattan Project (the atom bomb) before coming to work at Van Briggle.

The next time you see a mid-century Moonglo piece, remember Van Briggle's WWII diligent protector who kept the home "kilns" burning: Mr. McDermott.

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Gloss Glazes
Including recent gloss offerings as well as Eames Era

During the Eames era (1950's - 1960's), modernistic gloss - glazed pottery was in hot demand, and Van Briggle responded to America's call by purchasing the modern designs of Dryden Pottery and enlisting the skills of Dryden Master Potter Joe Jezek.

1954-56 Honey Gold	1954-1956 Lake Trout Green	1954-1956 Lake Trout Green	1954-1956 Honey Gold
Beginning in 1954, Van Briggle introduced honey, which was initially produced in Kansas by Dryden Pottery, then in 1956 at the Midland Ave. Van Briggle Plant in Colorado Springs.	Beginning in 1954, Van Briggle introduced Lake Trout Green, which was initially produced in Kansas by Dryden Pottery, then in 1956 at the Midland Ave. Van Briggle Plant in Colorado Springs.	See notes at left for same period. Notice the variation in depth of color in Lake Trout Green glaze.	Often with white or green drip glaze. Initially produced in Kansas by Dryden Pottery, then in 1956 at the Midland Ave. Van Briggle Plant in Colorado Springs.

1980's Jet Black	1980's -Present Celadon	1987-89 Honey Gold	1980's -Present Cobalt Blue
Frequently seen both with and without the white drip glaze.	Watch for an example of this glaze.	In this example, with Trout Green highlights. A very common glaze combination often seen on bud vases, with the green dripping about the top lip.	This is a description of the glaze

1982-1988 Jade	Year Color	Year Color	Year Color
Introduced in 1982, and discontinued in 1988. It is reported to be very similar to Celedon.	Watch for an example of this glaze.	Watch for an example of this glaze.	Watch for an example of this glaze.

The Eames Era Van Briggle line of pottery is among the most disliked and disrespected Van Briggle pottery today, and is held in disdain by many collectors. But ironically, that line probably sold better than any other of the pottery's distinct offerings, at any other time in history. While it is sadly true that the Eames era under owner Mr. Lewis saw a decline in Artus Van Briggle's ideal of Art Nouveau design and artistic creativity in general, it did at least show a positive cash flow for the pottery's bank account.

So, the next time you turn your nose at an "Anna Van" or similar piece of mid-century glossy Van Briggle pottery, pause and reflect that Van Briggle Pottery would not be in business today but for the infusion of cold hard cash which the popular line brought during the 1950's, 60's and early 70's.

Hey... General Electric sold a bunch of avocado green refrigerators, too. You don't blame them, do you? You or your mothers are the ones who bought them, after all!

Did you know?

The "Anna Van" line - widely believed to have been designed to honor Anne Van Briggle - had nothing to do with her? In fact, the name was chosen on the fly - and without much thought - to designate the new line of glossy pottery purchased from Dryden Pottery in Kansas, during 1954-1956, when Dryden was producing their designs and incising their pottery as "Van Briggle - Colo Spgs" even though it was being produced in their pottery in Kansas.

After 1956, Van Briggle took over production of the "Anna" gloss line and continued to produce "Anna" gloss pieces in Dryden and traditional VB shapes until 1968, when all gloss pottery was reverted to the normal Van Briggle bottom markings produced with a new clay, and "anna van" was no longer inscribed on the bottoms.

Jump to: | Early Glazes | Ming Blue | Mulberry & Rose Glazes | White Glazes | Gloss Glazes | All Other Glazes | Top

All Other Glazes

Including:
Lilac Blue,
Midnight,
Goldenrod,
Diarrhea Sunset
and other
recent or short-lived additions