Need help IDing 1950's California pottery mark on figurine of dancer w/ balloon.

[eclectic-co]

I need help identifying the maker of this unglazed figurine of a dancer and balloon. The maker's mark looks to be a stylized woman (a dancer?) within an uppercase "D". Part of the "D' is cut off by the opening on the base. Below that mark is a clearly impressed c. '52 Burbank CAL.  It measures approx. 9 1/8" tall. There are several tool marks on the surface which leads me to believe that this may have been a trial/test piece.  I'd also like any opinions as to whether or not the figure was meant to represent Sally Rand. As always- any help, thoughts, ideas, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

[argon38]

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@eclectic-co wrote:

  I'd also like any opinions as to whether or not the figure was meant to represent Sally Rand.

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I'd say it's a real possibility. Have you seen this sculpture by Janice Pattee?

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/42010208993906785/

[eclectic-co]

Thanks argon. I had not seen that sculpture. I'm wondering if what I thought was a "D" might actually be a "P". It looks like Janice Pettee eventually did have her own studio.  You've definitely given me something to look into further. Greatly appreciated!

[eclectic-co]

I still have been unable to find a match to the mark- but I did find an example or two of her own studio pottery...which turns out to have been located in Burbank! It's looking promising...

[argon38]

Interesting! (And my apologies to any Janice Pettee aficionados out there for misspelling her name).

[maxine*j]

If this is by Pettee, it might be another version of Sally Rand, or it might be some other celebrity of the time.  She's wearing an awful lot of clothing to be Sally. 

"Janice Pettee (1901-1983) and Paul Pettee (1910-1994) were wife and husband studio potters in Burbank, California. Janice Pettee is best known for her celebrity figures she designed for Vernon Kilns.  The Pettee's exhibited at the Syracuse Nationals in 1949."

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/149816-rare-janice-and-paul-pettee-pottery-bust

[eclectic-co]

Hi Maxine- and thanks for weighing in. At this point I'm fairly convinced that it is Sally Rand. While she may have not been been the only exotic dancer to use a balloon/bubble, it's a dance that is certainly credited to and most often associated with her. She often performed in the nude but there are certainly images of her dancing in (somewhat skimpy) outfits. Here's a YouTube clip of her dancing in costume: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Gvhu-Q4VQ

The photo that argon provided shows a figurine of Sally that was created in the 1930's. Sally was still dancing and remained popular well into the 1950's. It turns out that over the years Pettee designed several female celebrity statuettes for Vernon Kilns (Dorothy Lamour, Paulette Goddard, etc.)...including another (completely different) version of Sally Rand: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/sally-rand-figure-nude-fan-dancer-art-493746317.

I think it's entirely possible that Pettee created yet another updated version of Sally.

As of yet I've been unable to find a match to the mark. Now I'm wondering how much of the mark was removed by the opening on the base and the tooling that surrounds it. But at least now I feel I can say "likely the work of Janice Pettee" instead of "I have no idea who made it.". Hopefully an expert in vintage CA pottery will stop by and be able to share some additional info...

[argon38]

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@eclectic-co wrote:

But at least now I feel I can say "likely the work of Janice Pettee" instead of "I have no idea who made it."

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Perhaps I'm just being ultra-cautious, but "likely" seems too strong to me at this stage. It isn't just the fact that you can't positively link the mark to Janice Pettee; the problem is she has a known mark which doesn't resemble it. I agree with you about the likelihood of it being Sally Rand, since the balloon was pretty much her trademark. But the very fact she was so closely associated with the balloon makes it likely that more than one artist could have depicted her like that.

For what it's worth, it looks to me as if the woman on the mark might be walking a tightrope? (It probably won't lead anywhere, but no harm in mentioning it).

[eclectic-co]

"Perhaps I'm just being ultra-cautious, but "likely" seems too strong to me at this stage."

You make a valid point. I really don't have enough evidence as of yet. Perhaps I'll use "possibly" instead ...and give some reasons why I think it could be the work of Janice Pettee. When I learned that she had a studio in Burbank I thought I was well on my way to solving the mystery. Now I am having doubts. Unfortunately, there is very little information out there concerning the studio of Paul and Janice Pettee.

As far as being a tightrope walker...who knows? When I first saw the mark I thought that the figure looked like a performer of some sort. Now that I think about it, it could even have been meant to represent Sally herself- which would only add to the mystery.

For some reason I'm beginning to get the feeling that this is one puzzle that may never get solved...