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1950's Ceramic Arts Studio Figurines

  Lot # 065
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  • Starting Bid: $5.00
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Details
Condition
Very Good
Size
largest 5 3/4"H
Location
Living Room Table
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Lot # 065
System ID # 1247784
End Date
Start Date
Description

This lot consists of 2  Mary had a Little Lamb Porcelain Nursery Rhyme Collectible Figurines by Artist Betty Harrington, The Ceramic Arts Studio in Madison Wisconsin. Included is Mary and the Lamb. Also included is a third figurine that depicts a Man in a sombrero, sleeping holding his trumpet.  There is no manufacturers marks on this figurine. Harrington figurines can command high prices: a salt and pepper set Harrington designed for the Novelty Salt and Pepper Shaker Collectors Club was auctioned for $5,000 at their 1992 Convention.

History of The Ceramic Arts Studio:

The Ceramic Arts Studio of Madison (CAS) produced decorative figurines, wall plaques, salt and pepper sets, and head vases from 1942 until its closing in 1956.  Its ware was distributed nationally to stores such as Marshall Fields and Gumps. The company was originally formed in 1940 by Lawrence Rabbitt, a University of Wisconsin student who had received a WPA grant to research  Wisconsin clay.  Rabbitt produced hand-thrown pottery that he sold locally in Madison.  In January, 1941, Rabbitt went into partnership with another UW student, Reuben Sand. Sand undertook marketing and distribution of the firm’s products, produced primarily by Rabbitt. In 1942 Rabbit left the firm and Betty Harrington began modeling the figurines for which the firm is primarily known today.  CAS figurines that originally sold for two or three dollars in the 1950s can now command hundreds of dollars in the collectibles market. Japanese imports in the 1950s eventually undercut the CAS market and led to the company’s demise.In 1998 a Wisconsin State Historical marker was erected at the site of the old studio on Blount street in Madison. The text of the sign reads:

"At this site, 8-12 North Blount Street, the Ceramic Arts Studio of Madison operated from 1940 until its closing in 1956. Founded by Lawrence Rabbitt and Reuben Sand, the company was one of the largest manufacturers of figurines in the world, distributing up to 500,000 pieces annually to better gift and department stores. The vases, figurines, and salt and pepper sets—designed chiefly by Betty Harrington—were known nationally for their great originality and consistently high standards of manufacture."