Rare SHEARWATER Studio Pottery Plate, Walter Anderson?

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This is an extraordinary piece of vintage Shearwater pottery that I bought yesterday at the estate sale of the Hollywood actress and dancer Marion Fenstermaker. Miss Fenstermaker was a contract dancer in Hollywood in the golden era of the movies starting at the young age of 12, and she danced with Fred Astaire and appeared with Judy Garland and Gene Kelly in the 1948 movie "The Pirate". She also appeared in many ads in Colliers magazine as well. She passed recently in Indianapolis at the age of 90. Her estate was sold through an auction house , and I was able to buy this amazing piece of Shearwater pottery. This piece may be by the famous and highly sought-after artist Walter Anderson--I am 95% sure it is but you be the final judge. The piece is clearly marked "SHEARWATER" on the rear and t are what appear to be 3 hash marks and a circle. The piece is obviously handmade and obviously old. It has what could be considered an Art Deco border with 2 figures in the middle. The figures may be African-American or they might be Eqyptian. They appear to be carrying baskets or amphoras on their heads. These figures bear certain similarities to a carved vase by Anderson that is shown in the following link-- /16-01.jpg . Note the shape of the arms in both pieces and the shape of the heads and eyes and lips as well. In addition, t are other pieces of Shearwater by Anderson that I have seen on the website and that have figures and colors that bear strong resemblances to the figures and colors in this piece. Again, I will not say for certain that this is by Walter Anderson but I would say the chances are very good that it is. Also, I could see an Art Deco influence in this piece, and it might have been done during the Egyptian craze after the discovery of King Tut's tomb back in the 1930's; if so, this would mean this piece was done very early in the history of Shearwater. On the other hand, since this piece was done in the deep South, the figures could also be of African-Americans carrying baskets on t heads. The composition of the 2 figures with their arms encircling the center is that of an accomplished artist. The colors are as bright as the day this piece was made--vivid blue/green and yellow with the sienna skin colors and a reddish color in the clothes and headbands. The outline color which appears to be black is actually a very dark blue. Again, this is all obviously hand-painted. The size is fairly large--it is 10 1/2" across and 1 3/8" deep. The glaze is a high-gloss which really brings out the brightness of the colors--it is really beautiful. The piece has a very fine crazing all over, which in no way detracts from the piece, and in fact it verifies the age and authenticity of the piece. T is one small ( 1/8") original glaze pop at the tip of the yellow triangle that points to the shoulder, and t is a small 1/8" original glaze miss on the rim. None of this detracts from this museum-quality piece in my opinion--it is truly one of the most amazing pieces of American Art pottery (and especially Southern Art Pottery) I have ever seen. T are no cracks or chips or dings other than the original items noted. Oh yes, that unusual zig-zag line on the back is from a piece of felt that had been add to the edge of the bottom rim for the plate to sit on. The felt has deteriorated, and this remaining part can probably be removed but I didn't attempt to do that, to me it makes no difference. Please note the light area on the bottom of the first photo is glare from the many lights I had on to photograph the piece. The 75 year-old Shearwater Pottery in Ocean Springs, Mississippi was virtually destroyed during Hurricane Katrina 2 years ago. They are valiantly trying to rebuild. For a link to their site and their history, please go to or . Please email me with any questions or any more info you might have on this piece. B... read more

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