FILLOUS Art Pottery Bowl – Could the artist be a student of Viktor Schreckengost?
I found this bowl at a thrift shop. I loved it the moment I picked it up.
I was especially attracted to the midcentury vibes it was sending my way.
I was intrigued. So, I bought it.
If you love art pottery history, you’ll be intrigued too.
Let the research begin!
The bowl is 11” in diameter and 2.75” tall with matte and glossy blue and matte beige and brown glazes.
The middle interior with blue glossy and brown matte glazes has an incised abstract design and more incised decorations around the interior perimeter of the bowl. The bottom has the blue matte glaze and the outside rim has a layer of blue glossy glaze.
It is inscribed “FILLOUS” on the bottom in the clay in upper case letters.
The first information I found was an online document dated 1974 when Florence Y. Fillous provided a written biography to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Her primary media listed on the application were ceramics and textiles. Under the Art Training section of her application, it reads: “Special student in design and ceramics, Cleveland School of Art” and “Private studies with Viktor Schreckengost”. During this time, FILLOUS was a macrame teacher.
As I looked deeper for more information, I found a Cleveland Museum of Art questionnaire dated 1957 that states Florence Y. Fillous had “Private Tutorship in Pottery with Viktor Schreckengost”.
The “Private studies and tutorship with Viktor Schreckengost” sparked my interest. I was excited about the possibility of having a piece of pottery created by a student of his.
Viktor Schreckengost (1906 – 2008) was an important American industrial designer as well as a teacher, sculptor, and artist. His wide-ranging work included noted pottery designs, industrial design, bicycle design and seminal research on radar feedback. Schreckengost's peers included designers Raymond Loewy, Norman Bel Geddes, Eva Zeisel, and Russel Wright.
My research continues and I decided to search for images of pottery pieces that were created by the hands of Schreckengost in the 1950’s and perhaps the FILLOUS piece that I have may show a similarity to his style.
Well, I think I found just that! You be the judge.
I found this image of a piece of pottery signed VIKTOR SCHRECKENGOST in upper case letters. It’s titled “Oblongata Vase”, ca. 1950, stoneware, glaze, incised. The signature is incised in the clay in upper case letters on the underside. (see photos below)
Photo Credit: John Polak - Schreckengost Vase – Notice the abstract form in the design.
The FILLOUS piece above also has an abstract form in the design.
Photo Credit: John Polak
Notice the zig-zag design of the “S” in Schreckengost’s incised signature. See the “FILLOUS” incised signature and look at the zig-zag design of the “S”. Both are very similar to each other.
I can see similarities in the abstract form of the designs and the “S” in both artists’ signatures.
Do you see the similarities too?
Do you think my bowl is the work of Florence Y. Fillous?
Please post your thoughts.
I look forward to hearing from you.
2.13.24 - UPDATE: Many thanks to the staff at The Butler Institute and The Cleveland Museum of Art for their efforts in assisting me to confirm the signature mark on this piece of pottery in my collection is in fact the mark of Cleveland artist, Florence Y. Fillous (1912-1997) who had important artist Viktor Schreckengost as a private pottery tutor.
As always, whenever I research an item in my collection, I learn about, not only the subject artist, but about so many other artists as well. In this case, I learned a lot about the artistic relationships between several Cleveland Fillous family members and Viktor Schreckengost.
You can read my blog post “FILLOUS Art Pottery Bowl – Could the artist be a student of Viktor Schreckengost?” to read about my research journey.
Below, you can read more information about Florence Y. Fillous.
Mrs. Robert Fillous (1912-1997) was born in Cleveland. She attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and studied design, ceramics and pottery. Her work has been shown at the Cleveland May Shows, the Butler Institute of Art, the Syracuse Museum of Art, 19th Ceramic National, the Massillon Museum of Art, the Chagrin Artists Association, and the Women’s Cleveland Civic Club. Her work is part of the collection of the Butler Institute.
ART TRAINING:
Special student in design and ceramics at the Cleveland School of Art
Private studies in Pottery with important artist, Viktor Schreckengost
Teacher, Independent Artist – Macrame
PAST EXHIBITIONS:
Butler Institute of Art, Youngstown, Ohio
Cleveland Museum of Art May Shows, 1956
Annual Shaker Show
Syracuse Museum of Fine Art – 19th Ceramic National
Intown Club
Massillon Museum of Art
Textile Arts Club
Women’s Cleveland City Club
Baycrafters
Chagrin Valley Artists Association
Sarasota Museum of Art – Sarasota, FL
Jewish Community Center
COLLECTIONS WHICH NOW INCLUDES HER WORK:
Butler Institute of Art – Collection of Ohio Ceramics
AWARDS:
Butler Institute of Art – Purchase Award
1st place Ceramics, Best in Pottery – Chagrin Valley Artists
1st place Crafts – Landerwood Art Association
Honorable Mention – Textile – Jewish Community Center
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ARTICLE:
“May-in-September Art Show”, by Helen Borsick, Art Editor, September 26, 1965, Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Pottery by Florence Fillous and sculpture by Robert V. Fillous (1913-1993) form a handsome two-man (husband and wife) showing at the Intown Club Gallery. It is a marvelously varied display of talent, in media ranging from clay and metals and glass to epoxy, and in objects that range from bowls and vases and classical figure sculpture to welded steel and glass abstractions, mosaic walls and pedestaled garden flower pots.
The sculpture especially amazes, for the ingenious use of materials and the often playfully spirited design. Most of it is the after-hours output of the artist, whose business day is devoted to making commercial architectural sculpture (Fillous & Ruppell Co.).”
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NOTE: It’s interesting to note that Viktor Schreckengost (American, 1906-2008) rented studio space at Fillous & Ruppell where he designed and created the scale models for his Bird Tower reliefs for the Cleveland Zoo, as well as one of the full-size panels, because he didn’t have sufficient space in his own studio for clay works that size. He collaborated with Cleveland woodcarver, James J. Fillous (American, 1912-1991) who carved the designs. James J. Fillous was Florence Fillous’ father-in-law and Robert Fillous’ father.
Schreckengost taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art when Robert Fillous, creator of the "Tree of Knowledge' sculpture in Berea, was a student there. It also shows influences from Schreckengost, with whom Fillous likely studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Therefore, it is evident that many members of the Fillous family worked and studied with Viktor Schreckengost.
UPDATE: After several conversations and photo swapping with a kind gentleman at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, I have been able to confirm that the bowl I have in my collection was in fact made by the hands of Florence Y. Fillous who had private and tutoring ceramic lessons from important artist, Viktor Schreckengost. She was also the wife of important artist, Robert V. Fillous.
About Robert V. Fillous: https://wolfsgallery.com/artists/robert-v.-fillous
About Viktor Schreckengost: https://wolfsgallery.com/artists/viktor-schreckengost
Well, I heard back from my contact at The Cleveland Museum of Art. She was able to send me a link to a photo of a grouping of pottery pieces that were made by Florence Y. Fillous, but there were no images of the bottoms to show the potter’s mark. So, my research continues.
Today, I spoke to a lady at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Although the museum does not have any ceramic pieces in their collection by Florence Y. Fillous, she is helping me reach out to others to help me identify the mark on the FILLOUS piece of pottery. I’ll keep you posted as my research continues.