Education...R Galvan signed Pottery

Looking for some education. This piece of pottery is signed by R. Galvan who looks to be out of Mexico. I have seen the term "Slip Jar" pottery, would this be considered slip jar or how can one tell? Anything else about this artist, years of work, general area? I couldnt find much on him personally. Thanks. Ken

 

@Potteryplease

 

There is "slip decorated" pottery, which is a traditional technique where clays of different colors are mixed as a thick liquid - a "slip" - and applied like a paint.

And there is "slip cast" pottery, which is a method of mass producing ceramics using molds. A slurry of clay (also referred to as a slip) is poured into a mold (made of 2 or more pieces), allowed to set, and the excess slip poured back out. Once the clay is firm enough the mold can be taken apart and the piece is allowed to dry further before firing. Slip cast pottery may show a raised "mold line" where the pieces of the mold were held together. Mold lines may be smoothed out on the outside of a pot, but can often still be felt on the interior if the maker has not bothered to finish the interior surface.

Traditional Pueblo pottery is hand built with a coiling technique (no use of molds), and decorated with clay slips before firing.

There seems to be some confusion about "R. Galvan", some sources associating the name with pottery from Mata Ortiz, some sources suggesting the name is associated with mass produced SW style pottery.

I will tag @Taupou, another member here who may know more.

 

I've seen the name R Galvan on other mass-produced 'greenware' pieces that imitate Pueblo pottery but that are actually made in Mexico.

Mata Ortiz pottery signatures are usually inscribed / scratched into the pot bottom and not written on with a marker like this one.

 

Like this one I have here:

 

Yup !!!!

 

Just to help with the education project, "greenware" refers to mass produced ceramics that are sold in a "green" state, meaning they are dry and hard, but have not been fired. In this context, greenware is pretty synonymous with slip cast ware. Artisans and craftspeople can buy them and apply their own designs with slips or glazes and then fire them. Or sometimes, fire them and then apply designs with acrylic paints.

 

To clarify some misunderstanding since the terms are confusing (and sometimes misused): "greenware" refers to unfired clay. Since it has not been fired, it is very fragile, and if it gets wet, will return to its former state as clay. (Some pottery is decorated at this stage, called a "single fire" type of pottery, but it isn't common, and the forms themselves are not sold, since it would present too many problems for the seller.)

"Slip cast" ware refers to how a form was made, as in a mold, opposed to being thrown on a potter's wheel, or hand-built.

Slip cast wares therefore can be either "greenware", meaning it hasn't been fired, or "bisque", meaning that it has been fired at a temperature high enough turn permanently hard and to prevent it from returning to clay if it gets damp, but still porous enough to be glazed. Slip cast forms are commonly sold in bisque state, ready for decoration.

It is then fired a second time, to become "vitrified" or reach maturity, and for the glaze to become part of the pot.

The type of the clay itself, and the glaze formula, will all have different temperatures at which they reach those two stages, and they need to be compatible.

 

As to "R. Galvan," the signature has been around for years, but information about who made the pots is hard to find. A web site featuring a Mexican "R. Galvan" potter used to be on the web, but has been taken down.

What is known, is "R. Galvan" pottery is made in Mexico, and usually is a copy of, (or "influenced by") Acoma and other southwest Indian pottery styles.

It is rare to find the original "made in Mexico" sticker still attached, however. It is almost always “missing,” but you can usually see where it was.

R. Galvan pottery is not from Mata Ortiz, since that pottery is all hand-formed and fired outdoors, and R. Galvan pots are usually made from a mold and fired in a kiln.

"Researching" it on the web is risky, unless you can find a photo with the original sticker, since misinformation about R. Galvan pottery is more likely. He, or those using his name, indicate it may be a factory, since some of the "signatures" don't look like they were written by the same hand. Also, there is a lot of R.Galvan pottery on the market, which continues to create problems for sellers not familiar with it.

 

That is very informative. When @Ken K returns, he will have the information he wanted!

 

until then we'll go on our merry way..........

 

Boy do I .... wow ... you turn your back for a moment and Bang... incredible people here on these forums

 

Thank you so much for the time you took to respond to my education inquiry... there is just so much to learn about this medium and I am grateful for the information you provided... this is why I love this forum. Have a good day and cheers.

 

Thank you ... wow this forum never ceases to amaze me and the depths of what there is to learn makes me dizzy ... I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

 

now that yer a member.......drop in anytime !!!

 

Thank you for your reply ... as I learn more and more, and try to take it all in, I am amazed... cheers

 

I will.... and try not to stay away so long next time... I need to check my notifications as I hadnt gotten any from all of your responses... I will look into that and fix it so I dont miss them again...

 

it's a problem that several of us have........

 

I'm familiar with the R. Galvan pottery signature. I've researched it, and I'd like to offer a few counterpoints to what you've said.

First, you say R. Galvan pottery is usually a copy of Acoma and other southwest Indian pottery styles? This is true, but it's not the whole story. R. Galvan's pottery also includes various designs, including some that are original to the artist.

I don't think the original "made in Mexico" is as rare as you say. I've seen several R. Galvan pots with the sticker still attached.

And it's important to note that Mata Ortiz pottery is not the only type made by hand and fired outdoors. There are many other regions in Mexico where pottery is made this way.

What about the fact that it's not necessarily a sign that the pottery is fake? I really think the artist used different signatures over time or that other people were responsible for signing the pots...

Thanks, Margaret