William McDonald modeled this elephant for Rookwood in the late 1920s, and it holds up. The form is naturalistic and confident — trunk down, ears spread, standing squarely on a rectangular base. The matte dark blue glaze is the real story here: it pools and breaks across the surface, letting the lighter clay body show through at the high points in a way that looks less like a glaze decision and more like the animal just walked out of something.
Item Details
* Maker: Rookwood Pottery, Cincinnati, Ohio * Designer: William McDonald * Year: 1927 (Roman numeral XXVII below flame mark) * Shape: 2797 — standing elephant on rectangular base * Glaze: Matte dark slate blue * Dimensions: 4 1/8" long x 3.5" tall x 2 5/8" wide * Marks: Rookwood flame mark impressed on base; XXVII (1927); shape number 2797; kiln plug present; "X" mark in glaze on base; artist's mark incised on side of base — see photos
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