Kitaro Shirayamadani (1865-1948) Japanese/American, Signed Rookwood Vase. Kitaro was hired to work for Rookwood in 1887, and he won numerous awards for the company during his time with them. His work is in numerous museums and galleries across the world, with a vase selling in 1991 for a record $198,000. A label affixed to the side. Marked on underside. 

Size: 4 x 4 x 8 1/2 in. 

Maria Longworth Nichols Storer founded Rookwood Pottery in Cincinnati in 1880, naming it after her father's estate and notably employing many women artists. The pottery became known for pioneering American Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts styles, and in the early 1890s, Storer developed the "Standard Glaze," a high-gloss, yellow-tinted clear finish that became iconic. Rookwood also embraced the Japonism trend after hiring Japanese artist Kitaro Shirayamadani, and later gained acclaim for its architectural pottery used in major public spaces like Grand Central Station. The 1920s marked the company's most prosperous period, but the Great Depression hit them hard, leading to bankruptcy in 1941 and a subsequent decline. After a brief revival in Mississippi in 1959, production ceased entirely in 1967 due to changing tastes and financial losses. The company was rescued from being sold overseas in 1982 by a collector and finally returned to Cincinnati under new ownership in the 2000s, where they continue to produce new pieces from a production studio near its original location, and vintage masterpiece Rookwood pieces are displayed in museums across the country.

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