Lily Pad Base Appraisal

Studio Pottery Frog Figurine on Lily Pad Base

This is a hand-crafted studio pottery figurine depicting a stylized, smiling frog sitting atop a circular base that resembles a lily pad. The piece is constructed from stoneware or a similar heavy ceramic material, featuring a matte finish with a subtle speckled or granular texture throughout the clay body. The frog exhibits a color palette of muted neutral tones, including beige and taupe, with a decorative slate-blue or sage-green wash applied across its back and highlight points like the protruding eyes. Large, light-colored circular spots are painted across the dorsal area to represent typical frog markings. The face is characterized by a wide, incised smile and two large, bulbous eyes that give the piece a whimsical, anthropomorphic quality. The frog is integral to a flat, circular base which features faint incised details around the perimeter, suggesting the veins of a leaf. While no maker's mark is clearly visible from the top-down perspective, the style is consistent with mid-to-late 20th-century decorative art pottery. The condition appears sound with no visible cracks or major chips, though there is a natural aged patina to the unglazed portions of the clay. The craftsmanship indicates it was likely a small-production or unique artisan piece rather than mass-produced cast-ware.