The late 19th century saw the rise of American women ceramicists, as the profession became socially acceptable for women. Cincinnati porcelain painter Maria Longworth Nichols (1849–1932) founded Rookwood Pottery in 1880 out of a desire to elevate American art pottery. As a woman-owned manufacturer, Rookwood would have its potter’s wheel turned by “woman power,” she declared. The company employed both men and women—including Catherine Covalenco, who painted this vase—as decorators. 

Flowers, like the poppies on this vase, and landscapes were popular motifs in Rookwood pottery. The growing interest at the turn of the century in designs that resembled Japanese objects led Rookwood and other manufacturers to create works that imitated Japanese art. A general sense of flatness, vivid color, and stylized representations of animals in nature characterized these works, which seemed new to American and European audiences accustomed to the heavy, historical styles of Victorian and Neoclassical design.

Catherine Covalenco (American, 1896–1932), designer, and Rookwood Pottery (American, established 1880), manufacturer, Vase. Glazed and fired ceramic, about 1925–28. Height: 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); diameter: 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm). Gift of W. W. Knight, Jr., Milton Knight, Edward F. Knight, Samuel B. Knight, and Mrs. Harris McIntosh, 1969.270. On view in Glass Pavilion Gallery 5 in In a New Light: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.