Vintage Rare 40’s Gondolier Boy Statue Figurine By Will George Pottery 8” Signed.

The porcelain figure of what appears to be a gondolier boy wearing glazed traditional gondolier’s outfit, bright red hooded hat, green jacket. The item signed by “Will-George", pottery company in California. Overall, this rare item measures approximately 8” Tall x 2.5” Wide, and is estimated to be from the mid 20th century. Finally, this figure remains to be in excellent condition except the boat steering paddle broken off from the top. No chips, no cracks to the figure. Please see pictures. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.

The History of the Will-George Pottery Company:

The Will-George Company, founded in 1934 by brothers William and George Climes, initially operated from William Climes’ garage in Los Angeles. Will and George manufactured premium porcelain and earthenware. Renowned actor Edgar Bergen became infatuated with Will-George art pieces in the late 1930s. Bergen’s financial investment in the business allowed the brothers to expand and move to a larger facility in Pasadena.

After the move, Will and George produced an extensive line of art pottery, including popular bird and animal figurines, as well as a line of human figurines similar to those created by Royal Doulton. After World War II, the brothers ended their partnership with Bergen and moved to a larger plant in San Gabriel. They renamed their company “The Claysmiths” but continued to mark their pottery “Will-George.”

Like most California pottery companies, Will-George suffered after the influx of cheap imports during the 1950s. William and George liquidated their business in 1956. Will Climes designed for Hagen-Renaker until his death in 1960. George Climes worked with Redondo Tile Company of Torrance through the 1950s and was a lab technician for Gladding-McBean until his death in 1966.