Sascha Brastoff was a ceramicist during the mid century era. From 1947 -1962, he headed a studio of artists who reproduced his designs on both functional and decorative pottery. Brastoff’s painted designs are fluid, intricate and definitely representative of mid century design in style and color.
Sascha Brastoff, né Samuel Brostofsky, was born in Cleveland, OH, in 1918 into a family with eight children. In his late teens, he trained in ballet and danced for several seasons with the Cleveland Ballet. He also studied at Cleveland’s Western Reserve School of Art. At age 22, he moved to New York and became a window display designer for Macy’s. That same year, he joined the Clay Club ceramics studio in Greenwich Village, catching the eye of museum curators who purchased pieces for their collections.
Brastoff joined the Air Force in 1942, designing posters and performing in road shows. A Carmen Miranda impersonation was one of his signatures. After the war, he moved to Los Angeles and signed with 20th Century Fox as a costume designer and performer.
Opening his first ceramics factory in 1947, he moved to a larger facility in 1953 which tragically burned after only six months. Undaunted, he opened a larger factory the next year, employing around 100 artists, production assistants and business assistants. Dinnerware, decor and figurines were the main lines produced. Demand was as steady as production from many years, but declining sales lead to financial troubles in 1960.
Leaving the business in 1962, Brastoff set up a one man studio focused on enamelware, painting and drawing. In the 1970s, he designed the Esplanade and Roman Bronze lines for Haegar pottery and jewelry for both Marilyn Watson Creations and Merle Norman. He continued designing for other decorative art and jewelry companies until retiring in 1985. Sascha Brastoff passed away in 1993.
Surf Ballet, one of Brastoff’s popular dinnerware patterns, came in multiple colorways and was much duplicated.
The influence of Brastoff’s background as a dancer and actor is evident in his work. The painted designs flow lyrically across nicely shaped ceramic pieces. The colors are very of the era, changing to reflect the color influence of each decade.
How to Date Brastoff pieces
From The Marks Project:
Sascha Brastoff’s earliest sketches and ceramics are signed “Sascha.” In 1947 (while working solo) he started to sign his name “Sascha B.” This signature went on to be signed by staff members. As a general rule, anything signed “Sascha B.” is most likely signed by a staffer. All original design pieces are signed “Sascha Brastoff”. In late 1953, Brastoff added a back stamp to the underside of each piece. This is a rooster under which is seen a stylized cursive or script “Sascha Brastoff” and below that in all caps the block letter denotation, CALIFORNIA U.S.A. ©. Items produced after Brastoff left the factory in 1962, are signed with ® indicating registered trademark.
References
Sascha Brastoff, Wisconsin Pottery Association, Presentation from March 1998 by Dennis Hopp and Nicol Knappen.
Sascha Brastoff, Samuel Brostofsky, The Marks Project.
The Legacy of Sascha Brastoff, by Alyson Brandes, AMOCA blog.
2 comments
Love Sasha’s work! I was fortunate to find an ashtray (chimney) in mint condition. It has a peacock painted on it with blue and greens and gold! It has the original tag with the picture of Sasha and his story. It is signed on the bottom. And also has the letter’H’ and a number.
I can’t find this piece anywhere on the internet to know what it’s worth. Would you know the value?
We can’t assess the value for you. It is frustrating when you can’t find a comparable piece on the all-knowing internet. If you’re a collector, having a minty piece like that is worth more than the financial value I’m sure.