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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Caltempo Fish Fin

Caltempo was a line made by Cleminson Pottery of El Monte, California. George and Betty Cleminson started the business in their home in 1941 and became so successful that they eventually expanded to a modern plant with over 150 workers. They produced dinnerware, kitchen items, serveware, vases and plaques. Cleminson pottery was usually produced in distinctive glaze colors...berry red, dusty pink, blues and greens, with a touch of gray. The pieces are almost always marked. The company continued production until 1963, when it was forced to close because it couldn't compete with foreign imports.

My daughter picked up this Caltempo Fish Fin triple tidbit server at an estate sale in East Texas over the weekend. It's a lovely fish scale pattern in pale pink, blue and gray. The pink glaze is very thick, giving the piece a nice textured look.

6 comments:

  1. amazing digs...i love the way u research....hoping to get there sometime!!

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  2. @Sudha: I love doing the research. It's a real thrill to me to identify a piece I'd never seen before.

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  3. This pattern Fish Fin was designed by Marcel Hoessly who worked for Cleminson Pottery in the 1950s. I know this because he is my father & I have many pieces of his work. Some are design samples that did not go into production.

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