(Maurice Gandy/Correspondent)Linda Gates holds a double-handled Teco art pottery vase, in a Grecian style, part of the original collection owned by the family descendants of the Teco founder.
MOBILE, Ala. -- The 30 pieces of Teco pottery owned by William Day Gates II of Mobile have gained in stature and value in recent years as he and other family members have researched the development of the still-popular artifacts created by his great-grandfather, William Day Gates I.
The elder Gates developed Teco pottery in the latter part of the 19th century. Teco, a combination of the words terra and cotta, is most often characterized by a matte green glaze.
"I think all our families have some heritage they should be proud of," said Gates II, also known as Dr. Day Gates to dental patients at his practice in west Mobile. "We have different talents, and each family has somewhere in its history something or somebody it should cherish."
William Day Gates I quit his law practice in Chicago to become a potter, artist, writer, architect, businessman and world traveler, said his great-grandson.
"He worked on things he enjoyed," said Linda Gates, wife of Gates II, who has helped collect and preserve books and articles about the elder Gates, as well as his personal journals and artwork. "His life's work was also his life's joy. He wanted to do something outside of himself and share it. Teco pottery was the result."
Posts
