id: 111542
accession number: 1930.118
share license status: Copyrighted
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1930.118
updated: 2020-06-02 09:01:17.417000
Nautch Dancer, 1930. Waylande Gregory (American, 1905-1971), Cowan Pottery Studio (American, Ohio, Rocky River, 1912-1931). Ceramic; overall: 44.2 x 21.3 x 12.1 cm (17 3/8 x 8 3/8 x 4 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund 1930.118
title: Nautch Dancer
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: 1930
creation date earliest: 1930
creation date latest: 1930
current location:
creditline: Dudley P. Allen Fund
copyright:
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culture: America, Ohio, Cleveland School, 20th century
technique: ceramic
department: Decorative Art and Design
collection: Decorative Arts
type: Ceramic
find spot:
catalogue raisonne:
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CREATORS
* Waylande Gregory (American, 1905-1971) - sculptor
* Cowan Pottery Studio (American, Ohio, Rocky River, 1912-1931) - made at
The Cowan Pottery Studio was founded by R. Guy Cowan in Lakewood, Ohio, United States in 1912. It moved to Rocky River, Ohio in 1920, and operated until 1931, when the financial stress of the Great Depression resulted in its bankruptcy. Cowan Pottery produced both artistic and commercial work in a variety of styles influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Deco, Chinese ceramics, and modern sculpture.
During its two decades of operation, a number of well-known Cleveland School artists worked with Cowan at the studio: Elizabeth Anderson, Arthur Eugene Baggs, Alexander Blazys, Paul Bogatay, Edris Eckhardt, Waylande Gregory, A. Drexler Jacobson, Raoul Josset, Paul Manship, José Martin, Herman Matzen, F. Luis Mora, Elmer L. Novotny, Margaret Postgate, Stephen Rebeck, Guy L. Rixford, Viktor Schreckengost, Elsa Vick Shaw, Walter Sinz, Frank N. Wilcox, H. Edward Winter, and Thelma Frazier Winter. With the exception of Guy Cowan, himself, Waylande Gregory designed more pieces for the pottery than anyone else. Among Cowan's finest pieces were three limited edition figures relating to dance, including "Salome" (1928), "The Nautch Dancer," (1930), and "The Burlesque Dancer," (1930). For the last two, Gregory made sketches from the side of the stage of the well-known Ziegfeld Follies star, Gilda Grey, when she was performing in Cleveland.
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measurements: Overall: 44.2 x 21.3 x 12.1 cm (17 3/8 x 8 3/8 x 4 3/4 in.)
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inscriptions:
inscription: left side of base: "Waylande Gregory"; on back of base: "COWAN."
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: The May Show: 12th Annual Exhibition of Works by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen
opening date: 1930-04-22T05:00:00
The May Show: 12th Annual Exhibition of Works by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 22-June 1, 1930).
title: Cleveland Art Comes of Age: 1919-1940
opening date: 1989-06-28T04:00:00
Cleveland Art Comes of Age: 1919-1940. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 28-September 10, 1989).
title: Craft in the Machine Age: European Influences on American Modernism, 1920-1945
opening date: 1995-10-19T00:00:00
Craft in the Machine Age: European Influences on American Modernism, 1920-1945. American Craft Museum (organizer) (October 19, 1995-February 25, 1996); Fort Wayne Museum of Art (September 7-November 3, 1996); Akron Art Museum (January 25-March 30, 1997); Milwaukee Art Museum (June 15-August 15, 1997); Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art (September 1-November 30, 1997).
title: Burchfield to Schreckengost: Cleveland Art of the Jazz Age
opening date: 2004-03-28T00:00:00
Burchfield to Schreckengost: Cleveland Art of the Jazz Age. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 28-July 18, 2004).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
* Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; March 28 - July 18, 2004. "Burchfield to Schreckengost: Cleveland Art of the Jazz Age", no exhibition catalogue.
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PROVENANCE
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fun fact:
digital description:
wall description:
Gregory sculpted human and animal figures in eclectic styles ranging from realistic to highly stylized, as seen in this ceramic sculpture. It depicts Gilda Gray, a dancer notorious for her “bodyshaking . . . wicked torso movements” performed to jazz or blues music. In the 1925 Ziegfield Follies, Gray added exotic South Seas dances to her repertoire, including the “nautch dance,” named after the nautch—a traditional, East Indian, form-fitting, pleated dress—she wore during the performance. Although Gray refused the sculptor’s request for a personal modeling session, she did provide him with an onstage seat in the wings, from which he carefully studied her movements during several performances in Cleveland.
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RELATED WORKS
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CITATIONS
Robinson, William H., et. al. Transformations in Cleveland Art, 1796-1946: Community and Diversity in Early Modern America. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996.
page number: Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 172
url:
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IMAGES