This most adorable hippo was made in the Los Angeles studio of a ceramic artist Hal Fromhold in 1961-1963. I am not quite clear on the details but it seems that Bertil Vallien, who later became a rather famous glass artist, began his career as a ceramicist. In 1961 he had a fellowship at Fromhold's studio and created a series of these whimsical plaques: hippo, horse & bird, horse & rider, lion. I've seen a few of these so far, and each one has a different color scheme. I don't think there were too many of them made.
My plaque-tile is in excellent condition and has not just one but three Fromhold studio marks!
- Dimensions: 15 1/4" x 11"
- Acquired: San Francisco, California, May 2013
