Featured Jim Rumph Jester Jar

Discussion in 'Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain' started by MahlonBlaine, Mar 18, 2019.

  1. MahlonBlaine

    MahlonBlaine Member

    My name here on the site is MahlonBlaine as befits my status as a collector of his works, but I could have also been RumphCollector as I run that website and collect the works of Jim Rumph.

    The following is a rare as hens teeth Jester Jar designed by Rumph for his pottery studio The Mind Circus. He created under that name, his own name, Ceramarte of Brazil, Image Products, California Originals, and did work for Berney Karp. He died in 1993 after being struck by a hit and run driver. Stories I have heard vary from a total accident to him being run down by his cocaine dealer to whom he owed a bunch of money.

    What I want to know is if anyone knows what the writing is on the base under that nightmare fuel face. The only other picture I can find is over on therumph.com and the photo is so small and mean, I just can't make it out.


     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2019
  2. dgbjwc

    dgbjwc Well-Known Member

    Could the writing be upside down and/or a mirror reflection?
    Don
     
    MahlonBlaine likes this.
  3. Bdigger

    Bdigger Well-Known Member

    Don't know where my post went........Looks to me like letters 4,5,&6 are CUS. So I'm guessing CIRCUS ......not sure what the last letter might be. Just a Guess on my part.
     
    MahlonBlaine and i need help like this.
  4. i need help

    i need help Moderator Moderator

    F2BAFFA0-3F5F-483E-BD93-4D9435D11EAF.jpeg Strange the one they call Dufus, says Rumph in that spot?
    But I don’t know about these, just an observation.
     
    anundverkaufen and MahlonBlaine like this.
  5. MahlonBlaine

    MahlonBlaine Member

    My understanding is that the differences between Dufus and Jester is the hat, the glaze, and the plaque. However none of my sources could tell me what the Jester plaque said. I’ve overlaid the Rumph logo from Dufus and it just doesn’t seem to match up with what is still there on my piece despite trying all sorts of size scaling and distortions in Photoshop.
     
    i need help likes this.
  6. MahlonBlaine

    MahlonBlaine Member

    I initially thought that might be the case, but then the spacing would be all wrong if it said Mind Circus. I would assume they would try and center it instead of hap hazardly slapping it on any old place. And then like you said, what comes after cus?
     
    i need help likes this.
  7. MahlonBlaine

    MahlonBlaine Member

    It seems unlikely.
     
    i need help likes this.
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