Clean, geometric forms. Elegant, curving lines. Simple, classic shapes. The Teco Art Pottery Collection reproductions by Pririe Arts tap into the rich design tradition of American art pottery with pieces that blend into any modern environment. This beautiful art pottery was origanally produced by The American Terra Cotta and Ceramics Company, located near Crystal Lake, Illinois from 1899 through 1920. Founded by William D. Gates the company started out manufacturing architectural terra cotta that was used in constructing fire-proof buildings after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It was during the companies down time that they began to create this progressively modern art pottery, which was named Teco (pronounced "TEA-KO") taken from the first two letters of the the words TErra COtta. Each modern-day reproduction shown here has been modeled directly from it's original counterpart. The pieces are then slipcast in much the same way this pottery was made over a hundred years ago. Finally, every pot is glazed inside and out by hand and inspected for quality. Of the 500 different designs, William D. Gates himself designed about half the shapes, with other pieces created by such designers as Fritz Albert, William Mundie, Fernand Moreau and Frank Lloyd Wright. Although the company ceased making Teco ware in 1922, the pottery became highly prized by private collectors and museums alike during the late twentieth century including the Chicago History Museum.
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