$35
1970s
Available through eBay or Etsy.
Ceramic figure of a tennis player with vessel for plants or flowers. The sculpture depicts a player in tennis whites with a racquet and a mustache. The vessel is straight-walled and glazed on the inside to be water-tight. The figure, named Elliot the Tennis Player was made by the Metlox Manufacturing Company in Manhattan Beach, California. Starting in 1970, Metlox began producing a line of people planters called “Poppets” which were designed by studio potter Helen Slater.
Condition is excellent with no chips, cracks or crazing. There is some staining on in the lower third of the interior of the planter, consistent with age and use.
Sculpture is approximately 7 inches tall, the whole piece is 5 ¼ inches by 4 inches. The planter is 2 ¾ inches diameter, 3 ¾ inches tall.