Antiques & Collecting: Teapot or art?

Artists, critics and admirers alike have long wondered: What is art? Collectors of ceramics face a slightly more specific question: What is art pottery?

To a collector, the term “art pottery” usually refers to a kind of pottery made in the United States from about 1870 to 1930. This kind of pottery usually consists of hand-thrown, hand-decorated vessels with innovative glazes.

The best-known pieces are often items like vases or jardinières; in other words, decorative pieces. That is often the defining quality of art: It is meant to be decorative rather than functional.

But many artists, especially the studio potters of the mid-20th century onward, believe the two options aren’t mutually exclusive.

Take this teapot by contemporary ceramicist Paul Heroux, which sold at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries for $250. It’s an interesting-looking teapot with its organic shape and striking yellow and brown glaze, but it is exactly that: a teapot, not a sculpture of a teapot.

A 2010 profile by a student at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where Heroux taught at the time, quotes him as saying he wants his work to be both decorative and useful; that he “would love it” if his ceramics were used as tableware. In this case, the question “Is it a teapot or a work of art?” could be answered with “Yes.”

I need identification and approximate pricing on a small silver nutmeg grinder shaped like a Classical urn.

Nutmeg was used in Europe since the Middle Ages, when it was believed to have medicinal properties. By the 17th century, it was used as a flavoring. This is when nutmeg graters or grinders first became popular.

The silver nutmeg graters that are collected today are usually from the late 18th to 19th centuries. They were a popular accessory, made by many silversmiths in various decorative shapes.

Depending on their condition, maker, age and rarity of the shape, they can sell anywhere from about $400 to over $1,000. Check yours for the maker’s hallmarks.

You can look up silver hallmarks on sites like Kovels.com or the Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks at www.925-1000.com.

Books on antique silver or Victorian silver pieces may help you identify your nutmeg grinder. There is a website — nutmeggraters.com — that may have additional resources.

Tip: Always test an art pottery vase before you put it on a table. Fill it with water for 24 hours and check for seepage.

Current Prices

Railroad, lantern, New York, New Haven & Hartford RR, iron, single lens, top handle, signed, Peter Gray, Boston, late 1800s, 13 1/2 inches, $75.

Toy, playset, Mystery Space Ship, moon base, figures, cars, instructions, gyro-powered, box, Marx, $155.

Picture, watercolor, peacock, tail extended, leg raised, flowering plant in background, dandelions in foreground, frame, Chinese, c. 1910, 16 x 8 inches, $580.

Cane, walking stick, tiger maple, turned handle, barrel shape grip, octagonal shaft, early 1800s, 38 inches, $750.