W J Gordy / rare basket form / NR

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

This week I am pleased to offer 25 “smaller” world class pots for your collecting and gifting interests. Many of them are museum or exhibition quality pieces and each will be listed with a starting price of .01 (and all but two with NO RESERVE.) As always, thank you for your interest! = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Please check out my feedback and . (And please check out the other beautiful pots that I have on eBay.) You are bidding on a basket form by legendary Georgia potter W. J. (Bill) Gordy. DESCRIPTION: Masterfully thrown with a scalloped rim and beautifully conceived well placed handles, this basket form is an excellent example of the artful heights to which Bill Gordy elevated the realm of Georgia folk pottery. It features his highly coveted Mountain Gold glaze. The basket is 7 ¼” long, 4 ¾” wide and stands 3 ¾” tall. It is in pristine mint condition- no chips, cracks or repairs- and each has the potter’s inscribed signature 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 of potters. His family settled in Aragon, Georgia where his father made utilitarian type pottery. Bill grew up around the studio and by age 14 was making pottery. The clay came out of the Flint River area in Middle Ga. His father had a large wood kiln and Bill learned a lot about firing from him. He also learned from the itinerant potters hired by his father from around the country. He read every book he could find about glazes and began experimenting with them early on. As a young man he left his father’s shop and worked for several other potteries in the Carolinas and Georgia, learning different techniques and materials everywhere he went. By 1935 Bill was married and opened his own pottery. He soon started developing 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 other northern states. Gradually, the local residents discovered him. Thereafter he sold virtually 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 own blends. He used Georgia Kaolin, Ohio stoneware, Ohio red clay and Kentucky ball clay. He experimented with chrome, cobalt, tin and zirconium, silica, talc, feldspar, bentonite, copper, lime and many other chemicals to produce different colors and textures. He even experimented with the placement of various colors and various locations in the kiln. The beautiful golden brown he referred to as Mountain Gold became his trademark. Gordy's pottery has been on display in the Smithsonian Institution since 1940. Encyclopedia Britannica lists him as the "foremost potter in the southeastern United States. Winning bidder pays for insured USPS Priority shipping. Winning New York bidder pays applicable state sales tax. International shipping charge is $45. Winning international bidders are responsible for any import taxes imposed by their particular country. Payment via PAYPAL is due within seven days of the end of the auction. THANKS for looking and GOOD LUCK. read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.