Rare W. J. Gordy Vintage Pottery Candlestick

Rare, stamped "Hand Made by W. J. Gordy" vintage mid-1970's Art Pottery, finger candlestick holder, chamberstick in Mountain Gold #1. Approx diameter 5 1/2" & 3" height. William J. ( Bill ) Gordy ( born 1910 - died 1993 ) was one of Georgia's best-known 20th-century potters, with ties to North Carolina. He began turning pottery in his father's ( W. T. B. Gordy's ) shop, turning large churns by the time he was 14 years old. He left home & became what he termed a "tramp potter" ending up for a while in North Carolina working for the famous Hilton Pottery Company, for the Kennedy Pottery Company ( Wilkesboro, NC ) & for Herman Cole's Smithfield Pottery. In 1935, Bill Gordy returned to Georgia, establishing the Georgia Art Pottery. He was known over the years as an expert on glazes, learning from fellow Southern potters & from other experts at Alfred University in New York. More about the Gordy family of potters is contained in John Burrison's book "Brothers in Clay: The Story of Georgia Folk Pottery".