Albert Robert Valentien

Albert Robert Valentien was born in Cincinnati on May 11,1862. He attended the Cincinnati Art Academy, and at the age of 19 began working at Rookwood Pottery in 1881. His early work was the typical Japanesque style with swallows, clouds, and bamboo, but he quickly found his own style. He married another Rookwood artist, Anna Marie Bookprinter, and in 1905 they left Rookwood and moved to California. Robert Valentien died in San Diego, California on August 5, 1925. To this day he is still considered on of the very best artists to have ever decorated at Rookwood Pottery, and his pieces are highly desirable.