A set of 12 ceramic Art Deco plates depicting stylised polo players in action, each plate has a unique white sgraffito decoration, against a smoke-grey glaze and all are incised on the reverse with the Waylande Gregory Studio signatures and bear his monogram. American, circa mid-1930.

Waylande Gregory was one of the most prolific American Art Deco ceramic sculptors of the early 20th century. After studying under the renowned American sculptor Lorado Taft, Gregory’s Modernist style attracted a great many commissions for large-scale sculptures as well as architectural decorations, and he quickly achieved great critical success. Between 1928 and 1931, Gregory moved to Cowan Potteries where he was able to develop his technical skills and focused more on tabletop limited-edition pieces, subsequently becoming artist in residence at Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, around which time these plates were created. After 1940, Gregory focused more on production porcelains, which sold in leading retail stores such as Tiffany & Co., Saks Fifth Avenue, and Hammacher Schlemmer, among others.

These plates are believed to date to the 1930s when Gregory set up his own studio after leaving Cowan Potteries and Cranbrook Academy. The collection of plates came from the estate of James H. Binger, a noted American philanthropist. Included are 6 clear perspex plate stands (not illustrated).

Diameter of each plate: 11 in. (28 cm).