Pierced spoon/sifter

Horace E. Potter was a founder and leader of Cleveland’s vibrant community of Arts and Crafts metalworkers, and his was one of the most successful metalwork and jewelry craft shops in the Midwest. After graduating from the Cleveland School of Art in 1898, Potter spent a year studying at the Cowles School of Art in Boston. While there, he exhibited in the second annual exhibition of the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts in 1899. Potter went on to teach at the Cleveland School of Art and in 1907 spent several months studying and working under Charles Robert Ashbee (1863-1942), a guiding force in England’s Arts and Crafts movement. This enameled, pierced spoon likely would have been used as a sifter. Its refined craftsmanship and accomplished enameling attest to the creativity and skill Potter achieved in the early years of his career.