Strange Spanish Wooden Jug, Need Help to Identify

Discussion in 'Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain' started by ValerieK, Mar 11, 2022.

  1. ValerieK

    ValerieK Well-Known Member

    This is in a small lot of modern European items which I will be bidding on at auction. I would like guidance on whether it has any value, so I will have an idea how high to bid. It appears to be carved wood, and it is very light so possibly hollow, although I don't know how that could be done. (The white handle on the left is from a large tankard in the same lot.) It is odd that there is a little face at the top, but it's been obscured by the black paint. I think it is about 10 inches high. I don't know whether it is just a quirky tourist piece or a known artist's work. The base is nicely inscribed but I can't make out the name, which looks like G Rinl or G Rind (which brings up a lot of trendy coffee bars!), or maybe G Rina. Has anyone seen anything like this? Do you think I should factor in some money for it in my bid, or just regard it as a bit of fun? Any thoughts welcome! March EB .jpg Wooden Jug - 1.jpeg
     
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  2. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    pay what u feel u need to in order to own it....
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2022
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  3. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    Thought it might be Catalonian and... I'm right. Signed -- to my eye -- Xar Ca Tó and next to that -- and this is clearer -- Gerona. Gerona is Spanish for the city of Girona which means it likely dates to sometime in the Franco era (1939-1975) when the Catalan language was banned. Looks to be inspired by Picasso (he spent his formative years in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia) and probably an artistic souvenir from the start of mass tourism in the 1960s-1970s.

    Debora
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2022
  4. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    Ceramic Picasso pitcher.

    Debora

    images.jpg
     
  5. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

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  6. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

  7. bercrystal

    bercrystal Well-Known Member

    @Debora - excellent sleuthing!!! :happy::happy::wideyed::wideyed:

    It is things like this that make me so glad that all of us have a place where we can go where there are others who know off the top of their head or are willing to spend their time doing research for other members just because & expect nothing more than a thank you in return. :):):):joyful::joyful:

    @ValerieK - It might be well worth your while to sign up for the auction sights to see what those pieces actually fold for & when they sold. :happy:

    I'm with Debora & you may have found something very special that you can turn into some bucks. That is unless this is something you would intend to keep. ;):D

    I will keep my fingers crossed that no one else knows what it is & you get the lot for peanuts. :D:D:D
     
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  8. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    I'm just happy that there's a place I can go to (lawfully) indulge my nosiness and get praised for being a busybody!

    Debora
     
  9. ValerieK

    ValerieK Well-Known Member

    Wow, thank you very much for this reply, incredibly useful info! Now that you've told me I can see that it says "Gerona", I would never have got that on my own. I did wonder if it was ceramic, the surface did look like wood but that is probably deliberate, and looking at the base again I can see that the lettering must have been incised in wet clay, not carved into wood. So it could be a well known ceramic artist; it does look like an artist's vision. I'm getting quite excited about it now, but it's not mine yet, I shall now be quite disappointed if I don't get the lot! I want to get researching Spanish ceramic artists. Must put my money where my heart is. There is also an interesting painted jug which I will post here when and if I win the lot, I don't want to post it and then find I lose the auction, that would be too heartbreaking. I would love to research this vase(?) and the jug, my idea of antiquing heaven! I just hope that any rival bidders have not discovered antiquers.com, and I start with an advantage.
     
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  10. ValerieK

    ValerieK Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the advice, I just signed up for free to be able to view the sold lots, and one jug sold for over 200 euros. I've found other items from Gerona on sale, all for 100 - 200 euros, but none with the distinctive calligraphy on mine, so still some research to do. I'm going to up my bid, if only for the learning process of finding out about this object. I'll report back next week on how I get on at the auction!
     
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  11. bercrystal

    bercrystal Well-Known Member

    :hilarious::hilarious:

    You can be a "busybody" here anytime you want to as far as I am concerned!! :happy::happy::kiss:

    Had I not posted this piece here I would have likely dropped out of the bidding at the auction before it got to what I ended up paying for the lot. :nailbiting::nailbiting: However, the information I gained from those that responded to my post & the research I did on my own gave me the confidence to hang in there against a bidder who is usually willing to spend money freely. :):)

    https://www.antiquers.com/threads/p...tions-regarding-a-chinese-pewter-piece.64107/

    BTW the guy who was bidding against me at the end approached me a couple of weeks later & asked if I would sell a piece from the lot. The figure below is what he was after & I was more than happy to sell it to him since I would not be able to sell it elsewhere. He also offered me more than I would have asked for the item but he said his amount before I said mine. :p:p :bag::bag:

    Please do come back & let us know what happens at the auction. :):)

    https://www.antiquers.com/threads/w...his-reclining-figure-i-hope-i-am-wrong.64623/
     
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  12. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    May be wrong but... I don't think individual artists were given credit for the pieces they created for Xarcató. I scanned one of the articles I posted via link and one seemed to be complaining about the relationship. (You'll want to read more thoroughly.) I wouldn't think "your" piece was as desirable as some of the company's other work due to its simplicity but their pieces seem to be scarce and there may be an avid collector or two.

    Debora
     
  13. ValerieK

    ValerieK Well-Known Member

    Yes, I noticed that the ones online didn't have any signature or personal attribution, which of course lowers their value. I'm hoping that the strange "A" in the text underneath will lead to an identity - always assuming I get to own it! Emilia Xargay seems a possibility, I found a ceramic bull by her which bears a certain resemblance to the work, with the black paint on brown, and she has other pieces which are more abstract. But mustn't get too confident, I have often found I can spot a bargain but so can many others. Xarcato-Ceramic-Bull.jpg
     
  14. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    "Strange 'A' in the text underneath?'

    Debora
     
  15. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    Perhaps you can identify the purpose of the numbering. That might be helpful.

    Debora
     
  16. ValerieK

    ValerieK Well-Known Member

    The letter A in the words Gerona and Spain is written like a triangle, which is one reason why I couldn't make out Gerona in the first place. The distinctive way that the "GE" part of Gerona is done is also something to look for. All the other Gerona pieces I've found are written quite clearly, this one has very "arty" calligraphy, so I'm hoping I can trace the potter from the writing, if I look hard enough!
     
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  17. ValerieK

    ValerieK Well-Known Member

    Yes, there might be a link to the artist or time period. If it was a shape number then that would be discouraging, since it would imply that the pieces were not one-offs. If it is for an artist, then there must have been at least 40 artists. I will have to get to work on reading translations of the Catalan texts, which you seem to have done a great deal of already. Thank you for the tremendous amount of work you've done on this. At least now you will be able to spot a piece of Xarcató languishing on a thrift shop shelf, if you come across one!
     
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  18. Figtree3

    Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

    My favorite post read today!
     
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  19. ValerieK

    ValerieK Well-Known Member

    Well, after a bit of a battle at the end I got the lot for twice what I was planning to bid before this posting! I may not get the money back from the items I am hoping to sell but I'm still happy. Haven't picked them up yet, when I do I will post the other mystery object, the interesting jug. The style looks so familiar but haven't been able to figure it out yet. All other items are easily identifiable, but I'm glad there are two to research; will get down to the catalan texts soon. Photo attached, sorry for going on so much about this lot but it's nice to share a bit of the fun. jugs etc.jpg
     
  20. bercrystal

    bercrystal Well-Known Member

    Congrats on winning the lot!! :happy::happy:

    Keep us posted as to how this one does when you sell it or are you intending to keep it for a while? ;):)
     
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