Antiques Roadshow

GUEST: I brought three pieces of pottery.

I remember them from my early days growing up in Cleveland, Ohio.

APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.

GUEST: And after my parents passed away, my siblings and I divided up the pottery, and we each got at least one moon pot, which I think is this form.

And then I liked this bowl in the middle, and I just thought it went with it.

(chuckles): And so I took it.

This pottery was always referred to as Toshiko moon pots.

I didn't know if this was a Toshiko in the middle.

But I just loved it.

All three pieces are by Toshiko Takaezu.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: Toshiko Takaezu is a, a major figure in not only American ceramics, but American art.

What's happened recently is, it's not only that her pots are being appreciated, but she's seen as an Abstract Expressionist.

So there are museum shows all over the country of Toshiko's work.

GUEST: Oh, really?

APPRAISER: In addition to being a potter, she's a woman of color.

She's a woman artist working the Abstract Expressionist style.

So, pottery is not always just pottery.

She was someone who covered a lot of different territories.

She trained at Cranbrook Institute...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: ...studied under Maija Grotell, who was one of the great ceramic artist figures of the 20th century.

She taught for decades at Princeton University, ceramic arts.

GUEST: Huh.

APPRAISER: And she had a studio about 20 miles from where, um, we're located.

I had the pleasure of meeting her once.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: So you have three different expressions of Toshiko's work here.

First, as you say, you've got a moon pot.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: Which is a very important idea in and of itself.

She believed that her enclosed pots like this were very spiritual.

They enclosed the universe and they enclosed our inner selves, so there was a spiritual connection.

GUEST: Mm.

APPRAISER: And you could see from the way this is painted, in terms of Abstract Expressionism and her use of color, which is something that really, early on, we never associated with Toshiko.

The piece closest to you is not clearly signed, and I'll show the marks on the ones that are.

I'm sure it's her work.

And finally, this bowl.

I mean, she's known for her enclosed shapes, but this is a beautiful bowl, not just with good size to it, but if you want to talk about Abstract Expressionist use of color, this is a great example of how she blended colors.

So these are earthenware.

She worked for a long time.

I, I'm inclined to think that these are probably from the mid-'60s to the mid-'70s.

The one here has a more typical mark, which is the "TT" incised into the bottom.

GUEST: Ah.

APPRAISER: The one in the middle has a, a less common mark.

The "TT" is painted onto the bottom, for Toshiko Takaezu.

And this one, I cannot find a mark on it.

But if you compare the bottoms of these two pieces...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: ...it's the same bottom, it's the same clay, it's finished the same way.

Nobody would doubt that this is her work.

They may pay a little less because of it not having a mark.

GUEST: Because it's not signed, okay.

APPRAISER: How much did your parents pay for these?

GUEST: Nothing.

APPRAISER: They were gifts?

GUEST: My uncle was part of that group... APPRAISER: Uh-huh.

GUEST: ...of Cleveland artists in the '60s, and they've just been there and together for as long as I can remember it, and I'm sure they didn't buy them.

APPRAISER: Her prices have exploded.

At auction and through gallery sales recently.

Auctions were selling Toshiko pieces like this one four years ago.

This would be estimated for maybe $2,500 to $3,500.

Now, this is $6,000 to $9,000, $7,000 to $10,000 at auction.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: This pot here, even without a mark, I would have estimated this four or five years ago for $1,500 to $2,000.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: It's now a $4,000 to $6,000 piece.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: And this bowl?

GUEST: Yes?

APPRAISER: Again, not what people necessarily look for when it comes to Toshiko's work.

They're looking for the moon pots and such.

But the way this serves as a canvas for her use of color, her Expressionist color, is fabulous.

This is a great one.

GUEST: I love it.

APPRAISER: Uh, normally, bowls this size are in a $1,000 to $1,500 range.

Conservatively, either $2,500 to $3,500, maybe $3,000 to $4,000.

But I wouldn't be surprised if at auction, that brought $5,000.

GUEST: Really?

APPRAISER: It's just such a very good example.

The three of them together are a beautiful presentation of all aspects of Toshiko's work.

GUEST: I love them.

APPRAISER: So thank you.

GUEST: Thank you.