Question:
I have this fruit bowl and jar from my mother. I believe it dates to about 1950. The bowl is 11" in diameter and the jar is about the same height with the lid. Any information and value would be appreciated. Only the bowl is marked Red Wing. Tim

Answer: According to a July 1942 sales brochure, you have an "Incised Peasant" Salad Bowl and Cookie Jar. They are two of the three items available in the Incised Peasant design. The other is a Munch Jar (low and squat in shape). The bowl is the only piece that is marked Red Wing. All three items were available in three colors: Brown, Green and White. Unlike most Red Wing hand painted pottery, the peasant figures were cold painted (over the glaze). Because the colors are not sealed under the glaze they are easily removed. After 60-some years many of these pieces have lost a considerable amount of their original paint .

The Incised Peasant line is not rare. The bowl and cookie jar are quite common, while the munch jar is found less frequently from what I’ve seen. These pieces in excellent condition and with most of the original paint intact would be worth $25 to $40, with the white color on the low end, green on the high end, and brown somewhere in the middle. Loss of paint detracts from the value, as do any chips and cracks.

Larry