Designer: Robert G. McKeown (1931 – 1989)

Item: Salt and Pepper Shakers

Manufactured by: Robert McKeown

Country of origin: United States

Year made: Circa late 1970s

Materials: Wood with resin inlays

Dimensions: 7 ¼” x 1 7/8” x 1 ½”

Condition: Very good

Description: Here is a pair of McKeown’s most famous designs, his tall salt and pepper shakers. His salt and pepper shakers came in two sizes, this being the taller. They also came in two finishes, these taller versions in the lighter oak or ash base wood and the shorter in the darker mahogany base wood. Both versions also use this style of inlay design work with the circles and horizontal banded inlay that matches.

McKeown's pieces are among the finest examples of quality Studio American craftsmanship and design. He was a San Francisco Bay area artist known for his use of resin and metal inlays in his wood objects. He was a graduate of the California College of Arts and Crafts and was a color theorist who won acclaim for his innovative resin and metal inlays on a range of utilitarian objects. His work was exhibited nationally and internationally, including shows at the American Craft Museum in New York City, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pennsylvania and the Yamaha Corporation American Craft Exhibit (1979-1980, Japan). He was a representative to the World Crafts Council Conference in Vienna in 1980. His body of work is somewhat limited due to his early death in 1989 at the age of 58. McKeown’s works are becoming increasingly popular and sought after. An identical set recently went through auction with a total sales price of about $450 (hammer $350 plus %28 buyers premium).