EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: An Important Example of New England Pottery Produced During the Grecian Revival Movement

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

An Important Example of New England Pottery Produced During the Grecian Revival Movement

The Merrimac Pottery Company in Newburyport, Massachusetts should be viewed today as both a utilitarian and art pottery company, which operated for only one decade in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century, circa 1897-1908. Thomas Nickerson ran the Merrimac Pottery Company in an industrial-type building less than one-half of a mile from where the old nineteenth century brick buildings are found in downtown Newburyport today.

Nickerson's business used an indoor industrial-style kiln; whereas, there was even a dedicated room that was reportedly used just for mixing glazes.

Nonetheless, Thomas Nickerson traveled down to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts at the turn of the twentieth century, where he examined a number of Grecian sherds and whole objects recovered in Europe. Nickerson used those forms as inspiration for his own line of Grecian influenced products. Most of the forms were intended for garden purposes, where there was a large emphasis also devoted to strictly terracotta products.

A well-kept secret at the Old Newbury Historical Society in Newburyport is arguably one of the most detailed forms ever constructed by an American utilitarian potter. It is described as a garden urn; although, I absolutely view it as a work-of-art today.

This large urn was reportedly produced in two-halves; the first half being the base and the second half is the body. The detail is incredible!

This object was donated by a local owner to the historical society in 1906. The date of manufacture is not known; however it was made no earlier than 1897 when the company was founded. It is my belief that the urn probably dates between 1900-1906.

The entire urn is manufactured from unglazed red earthenware, where similar, but simpler objects made from this style are also known today including an object in my personal collection. But this specific object is an absolute masterpiece for an object made during the Grecian Revival Movement in Massachusetts, as well as a benchmark that some potters from the the American Arts and Crafts Movement should be held up against today.

Note: This object has never been published (or really seen) before outside of this website, which I find exciting!

Urn Made in Newburyport, Mass.