WJ GORDY / MOUNTAIN GOLD PLATE
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:62879577 |
Please check outmy 100% Positive feedback and bid with complete confidence. (And please check out the other beautifulpots that I have on eBay.) You arebidding on a large plate by legendary Georgia potter W. J. (Bill) Gordy. &nb...sp; DESCRIPTION: Masterfully thrown with a rounded edge, this plate is an excellent example of the heights to which Bill Gordy elevatedthe realm of Georgia folk art. It isdecorated with his highly coveted Mountain Gold glaze. Thebowl is 9 3/4” (9 7/8”) in diameter and stands 1” (7/8”) high at the rim. It is in pristine mint condition- no chips, cracks or repairs- and has the potter’s incised name on the bottom. This is a no reserve auction. ABOUT W. J. GORDY: W. J. "Bill" Gordy was born on May 18, 1910, into a family ofpotters. His family settled in Aragon, Georgia where his father madeutilitarian type pottery. Bill grew up around the studio and by age 14 wasmaking pottery. The clay came out of the Flint River area in Middle Ga. Hisfather had a large wood kiln and Bill learned a lot about firing from him. Healso learned from the itinerant potters hired by his father from around thecountry. He read every book he could find about glazes and began experimentingwith them early on. As a young man he left his father’s shop and worked forseveral other potteries in the Carolinas and Georgia, learning differenttechniques and materials everywhere he went. By 1935 Bill was married and opened his own pottery. He soon starteddeveloping his own clay and glaze mixtures. His shop, right beside the old"Dixie" Highway (Highway 41) became a favorite for tourists("Snowbirds") traveling between Florida and Michigan as well as othernorthern states. Gradually, the local residents discovered him. Thereafter he soldvirtually everything he could make as it came from the kiln. Bill Gordy continued studying pottery, experimenting and turning pots all his life. Although he had begun with"swamp clay" from the Flint River area, he learned to develop his ownblends. He used Georgia Kaolin, Ohio stoneware, Ohio red clay and Kentucky ballclay. He experimented with chrome, cobalt, tin and zirconium, silica, talc, feldspar, bentonite, copper, lime and many other chemicals to produce differentcolors and textures. He even experimented with the placement of various colorsand various locations in the kiln. The beautiful golden brown he referred to asMountain Gold became his trademark. Gordy's pottery hasbeen on display in the Smithsonian Institution since 1940. EncyclopediaBritannica lists him as the "foremost potter in the southeastern UnitedStates. SHIPPING: Winning bidder pays for insuredUSPS Priority shipping. Winning New Yorkbidder pays applicable state sales tax. International shipping charge is $50. Winning international bidders are responsible for any import taxesimposed by their particular country. Payment via PAYPAL is due within five days of the end of the auction. THANKS for looking and GOOD LUCK.
