By Ben Owen Sr. (1904 to 1983) North Carolina Stamped Ben Owen Master Potter. This circular stamp was used from 1960 to 1972. During the 1920’s, Ben Owen Sr., was a potter at Jugtown Pottery. While there, extensive research was done by the pottery’s owner, Jacque Busbee who patiently educated the young man in the ceramic traditions of the Orient, most notably works from the Han, T'ang, and Sung dynasties of China. Jacques Busbee died in 1947, but Ben Owen remained at Jugtown until 1959. Owen's work has been widely exhibited in North Carolina, the United States, and abroad. Permanent collections may be found in such institutions as the Mint Museum, Charlotte; the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Louvre, Paris. The Dogwood White glaze was inspired by Chinese and Japanese white finishes for pottery with a thick coating that resembled icing on a cake. In 1928, the Busbees of Jugtown entered a vase, made by Ben Owen, in the Dogwood festival with this white glaze. The vase was awarded best in show and from that time forward, the vase was called the Dogwood Vase and the glaze named Dogwood White.
