Huge Saco River Region, Maine Redware Milk Pan

Limington Village, Maine - Report 1
Limington Village, Maine - Report 2

To continue with the Limington Village, Maine and Saco River region, nineteenth-century redware discussion - a wonderful over-sized redware milk pan was discovered recently near the New Hampshire seacoast. It shares many characteristics of the potter, John Alld's earliest work in Biddeford, Maine.

John Alld can be described as one of Maine's earliest potters - beginning his career in Biddeford and ending in Hollis, where he worked near his brother in-law, Thomas Truxton Kendrick. Kendrick, himself was an extremely accomplished small-town potter.

An interesting characteristic that appears on many examples of redware from this region are small green dots - which may have been caused from an abundance of copper in the clay. These type dots are not seen in many other regions of early American pottery. Personally - I think the characteristic may be near exclusive to the state of Maine.

A few examples of Allds work are pictured in M. Lelyn Branin's 1978 book, "The Early Potters and Potteries of Maine." Alld is known for base glazes that include colors of tan, gray and green - covered or scattered with green or brown spots.

It appears many of the wares produced by the potters of this region possessed a similar type spot. The spots were likely caused by natural impurities in the clay that reacted with high temperatures inside of the kiln. The end result was not expected or intended by the potter, but it added a surprising, wonderful decorative feature.

The Saco River region potters all worked in small shop environments. Each produced much-lesser wares when compared to the larger operations elsewhere in New England. With that, examples made by the dozen or so potters of this area are considered very rare today.

Alld's known forms include jugs, milk pans, jars and a number of simpler utilitarian forms. There are likely additional lesser known forms, but the aforementioned were likely the most popular. The intended market was the area's farming communities and an idea of an export industry was likely on a smaller scale than that of the larger redware companies in Maine of the same period.

The following milk pan is huge. It measures twenty-inches in diameter. The glaze style is similar to the work of John Alld. I have never personally seen a milk pan attributed to Alld before, but the green dots and olive-green base glaze make me believe it was manufactured in Biddeford.

Saco River Region, Maine Redware Milk Pan

Possibly John Alld

Early 19th Century

Huge: Measures 20 Inches Across

Back of Milk Pan

Notice the Green Dots on Top of an Olive Green Glaze

A similar green dot was found within the sherds that covered the property of Maine antiques dealer, Bill Kelly's Limington Village, Maine home. It is assumed his property or very-close nearby, worked an accomplished and undocumented early Maine potter. Both Hollis and Biddeford are nearby and the clay source was likely the same.

Notice the Green Dots on Top of a Mixed Cream and Green Background

Exterior of Jar

Notice the Green Dots on Top of a Mixed Cream and Green Background

Interior of Jar

This next jug has been properly attributed to the work of John Alld. The use of colors are very similar to the milk pan. It makes me wonder of the milk pan's rarity. Are there other examples known from Alld? I know the Maine State Museum does not own a milk pan made in Biddeford.

Possibly John Alld - Biddeford or Hollis, Me
Early 19th Century

Sold: $4,700 in 2009

Photo Courtesy: Skinner, Inc - Boston, Ma

I had a very successful weekend picking the coast of New England. I discovered a very nice locally produced nineteenth-century jar in New Bedford, Massachusetts with a wonderful, unusual glaze - and an additional colonial dye or lard pot in New Hampshire that is especially interesting. It was likely produced in Charlestown, Massachusetts around 1750 with a possible seen maker's mark. I may write about the mark on a future date. Charlestown examples are extremely rare today - I am going to guess and say there are less than fifteen known surviving examples.

Much more to come..