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Rookwood Pottery
Maker’s marks
Compare the lettering, symbols and layout with the mark on your piece.
The marks, up close
Rookwood — RP mark comparison chart
Identification details for Rookwood — RP mark comparison chart
Use this chart to compare changes in the RP monogram. Early examples are dated by the number of flames; later examples use Roman numerals beneath the completed flame border.
Rookwood — RP monogram without flames
1886
Identification details for Rookwood — RP monogram without flames
This is the original RP monogram, adopted in 1886. The reversed R shares its upright with the P. The flame-count dating system begins with the next version.
Rookwood — RP monogram with one flame
1887 example
Identification details for Rookwood — RP monogram with one flame
The single flame is the first dated version of the RP monogram, representing 1887. Later examples add flames around the same interlocking letters.
Rookwood — RP monogram with surrounding flames and II below
1902
Identification details for Rookwood — RP monogram with surrounding flames and II below
The Roman numeral II identifies 1902. Once the flame border was complete, Rookwood kept it and added Roman numerals beneath the monogram to indicate the year.
Rookwood — RP monogram with surrounding flames
1895 example (nine flames)
Identification details for Rookwood — RP monogram with surrounding flames
Nine flames place this example in Rookwood’s annual flame-count sequence. One flame was added each year after the first in 1887, making this the 1895 version.
Identification guidance
1882–1886: Early Block Letter Marks
Look for “ROOKWOOD” stamped in plain block letters on the bottom of the piece.
The year of production was also impressed during this time—no flames, no symbols, just straightforward text.
Shape Numbers
In addition to date marks, look for an impressed shape number below the logo. These numbers help identify specific designs and forms produced by the pottery.
Sources
- Rookwood: An American Art. The Rookwood Pottery, 1904.
- Rookwood Website
About the Maker
Rookwood Pottery, founded in 1880 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Maria Longworth Nichols Storer, became renowned for its high-quality art pottery and innovative glazing techniques.
