I am an obsessive compulsive who tends to build really large (ie obnoxious)sized collections of pottery, my problem is in finding shelving units for display. I want something in the A&C style, but am having trouble finding something large enough for a particular collection of mine. Would this piece (belonging to Dave and Diane) qualify as A&C? If so, where could I buy one and be able to have it shipped? Is this something I should have custom built?

Thanks!

some here may cringe, but here it is anyway...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Arts-Crafts-Mission-Oak-Bookcase-or...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

i have seen several items by this maker, actually, imported frm china. all white oak, one case i saw, larger than this one, was all pegged joints, through tenon, nice hardware, gallery top, over 6 ft tall. my local dealer has it, and said it would be $700. it would be next to impossible to make one for that,and impossible to buy a vintage piece for that.

i will get a picture and post.

its not a gus piece, but a great buy for the price...

I don't think the piece Dave and Diane have qualifies as A&C and in my opinion it is just too much pottery. The decorative effect is gone. I would suggest going with something like Don suggested (unless you can find a similar antique - which you can't at that price) and then treating your collection similar to how a museum displays what they have - display only a fraction of what you have at a time. It usually ends up being much more decorative, attractive, and enjoyable instead of just piling up all the pieces you have together. Post a picture when you figure something out...

here's some sweet examples of the way to go...from fulper.net

Steve, I agree that Dave and Diane have too much pottery in the one display. It's just TOO much. I like the idea of a unit like D&D's for an inside storage area off my study. Kind of a place to keep the items that aren't on display out front.

I myself tend to go overboard with my collecting, hence my use of the term obnoxious in my initial post. Fulper, Rookwood, Teco, Roseville, Ephraim. I've collected them all at one time or another. I usually become so obsessed with my latest collecting infection that I have to begin selling off one collection to pay for the next just to keep up.

My items have always been photographed, wrapped, boxed and then stored because up until now I wasn't in a high end collection friendly home. Now, my latest obsession is display -- the idea of it anyway.

Stonecat, I think we're on the same page. I'm attending an auction later on this morning that has 3 cabinets very similar to the first one in your photos. I have a long wall that could easily hold three good sized pieces without looking like an end cap in the front lobby of a Cracker Barrel.

here is a link to the larger case i mentioned earlier.

i have seen this model locally and thought it was very nice for the price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mission-Oak-Arts-and-Crafts-China-C...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here are some ideas for displaying pottery. I really like the cases where each individual piece is framed in a mullion.

Now, artists often design things in groups of three's five's, seven's, etc. That can apply to arrangement of pottery collections. Design wise, I prefer the cases with three or three plus three vertical columns. You can put the tallest piece in the center of each row or door. Think of it as a visual pyramid.

Now to talk about color. Here are some examples. Put red vases down the center and flank them with your green vases in one case. Or put a pot with some orange in the center and frame it with two blue vases. You can also play with shape.

For the case with four vertical columns, I would place all of the pottery with rectangular features in cols. 2 and 3. Put the rounder pottery on the outer columns. Keep the biggest vases on the bottom--it prevents the display case from lookig top heavy.

Sure wish I had that pottery collection though.

Bev.

Hey, these are very nice. Personally though, the best way for me to showcase my work is to spread them around the house to make them look practical and adds a utilitarian theme to it. But that's just me. Good luck though.

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here is a good idea for you.. I have been meaning to build this for my house.. One of many projects on the list..

I am going to build a frame, with one side to display a few pieces of pottery (like Van Briggle, Rookwood etc) where the pottery is displayed ona few shelves. On the other side is basically a picture frame with a few antique pottery ads (for the pottery displayed) .. Thought that would be kind of cool to have the old ads etc displayed with the pottery...


Rob