User:Petropoxy (Lithoderm Proxy)/Sara Sax





Sara Sax (1 November 1870, Cincinnati - 9 September 1949, Cincinnati), was an American ceramic artist and decorator who worked for Rookwood Pottery in Cincinnati.

Sax joined Rookwood in 1896. She excelled at every aspect of pottery decoration. Her style evolved over time, at times incorporating carved elements and fabric stamping to create intricate patterns. Her creativity set her apart. Her works are marked by "striking colors that seem beyond what could be manufactured to attain an ethereal, mystical property."

Sax contributed commentary for a book of etchings by her colleague Edward Timothy Hurley.

Sax "utilized arts and crafts ideas in many matte glaze vases she created in the first decades of the twentieth century. Sax often used flowing lines and hand-painted flowers or other plants to create an artwork that seemed to refocus the viewer's eye on how the object rhythmically danced with the muted glaze."

"Sara Sax's use of French Red Glaze is indicative of the collective knowledge Rookwood and its decorators had gained over the preceding decades. As a technical artist, Sax utilized ideas drawn from the Art Deco movement to create imaginative designs that fit perfectly with the burgeoning aesthetic."

"She also physically manipulated vases, carving them and filling spaces with patterns and shapes that intensified the artistic expression. She drew ideas from unique patterns, such as textiles and steelwork. Perhaps most impressive, the French Red wares mixed matte and gloss glaze applications, a technical advance that curator Anita J. Ellis called 'a remarkable design achievement.' This era was a culmination of innovations in production and ceramic technology. Rookwood decorators then united these forces to create distinct and masterful art pottery."

Sax was the first to use the vellum glaze and one of the most adventurous in its application. She experimented with combining the translucent vellum glaze with relief carved slip decorations.

"Pink was a difficult color to use successfully, and Sax could use it at will."

Commonly used Peacock feathers as a motif, especially during Rookwood's Art Nouveau phase.

"Sara Sax mastered every glaze line she worked in"

"Combining a matte and gloss finish in one vase was an exceptional achievement. It was a remarkable design accomplishment as well. Decorator Sara Sax was always exploiting the latest technology at Rookwood to achieve new expressions in decoration. Virtually all examples known that combine a matte and gloss glaze are by this artist. It is not unusual for Sax's work to be marked by new glazes and technology. Consequently, unlike some decorators, her name is not associated with one type of Rookwood more than another."

"Rookwood potters, especially Sara Sax, were in the vanguard of almost every art movement throughout the history of the pottery." (referring to an Art Deco style vase from 1922, predating the coining of the term in 1925)

"For an unknown reason, the glaze [French Red] was used almost exclusively by decorator Sara Sax."

"This example is exceptional because it combines both the yellow and the green later Tiger Eye in one piece. It is not surprising that Sara Sax was the decorator attempting this achievement. She was constantly working with Rookwood's latest glazes and technology to expand her range of decoration."