According to Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares) - the Robertson family immigrated from Scotland to America (by way of England) in 1853. They landed in New Jersey - where they were taught the potter's craft - and by 1866, a family-run business had opened in Chelsea, Massachusetts with a simple output of red earthenware flower pots and vases - some of which were painted green. The flower pots were not of a generic nature, but were intended for specific flowers like hyacinths and crocuses. A decade later, the product focus changed - and the business became known as Chelsea Keramic Art Works; "The earliest ware of the Chelsea Keramic Art Works was a red bisque or terra cotta, which was either perfectly plain in classic forms or else was decorated by painting in direct imitation of the old Greek vases. The painted decoration was the work of John G. Low, a young Chelsea artist, who soon established the tile works (Low Art Tile) for which he became noted. The finished pieces were subject to a polishing process that completed the resemblance to the original works of art. So fine and smooth was this ware that it was also suitable for incised design in the manner of engraving on silver."
The most-prominent of the Robertson family potters was Hugh Robertson - who was responsible for the more elaborate products made at the Chelsea Keramic Art Works. He later went onto achieve even more recognition when he established the Dedham Pottery (Dedham, Masachusetts) that lasted well into the twentieth-century.
The following Greek-style vase (painted by John G. Low) was acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1877 - at the time it was considered contemporary pottery. Very few of these Grecian forms made in Chelsea have survived today. If you go back and search through this website - you will see a few other Grecian forms made in Chelsea.
Chelsea Keramic Art Works Red Earthenware Grecian-Style Vase - Chelsea, Ma
Decorated by John G. Low
The Form is Known as a Stamnos
Ca. 1870s
Photo Courtesy: Museum of Fine Arts - Boston, Ma
Chelsea Keramic Art Works Red Bisque or Terra Cotta Vase - Chelsea, Ma
Unmarked
Found in Salem, Ma
Ca. 1870s
Stands 7" Tall
The vase my parents purchased had nothing to do with the undecorated wares or Grecian products made in Chelsea in the 1870s; instead it was modeled after an ancient Chinese style vase. "In 1876 Hugh Robertson visited the Centennial Exhibition (in Philadelphia, Pa). He was so much impressed by the Korean and Chinese porcelains that he returned to Chelsea eager to imitate their glazes, especially the glowing "dragon's-blood" red of the Ming wares."
All of the "dragon's-blood" red forms I have seen made in Chelsea are formal art pottery products intended for use around formal parts of the household. I also think the term "dragon's-blood" red is interchangeable with the color "oxblood" red, which is more-often used by American potters and Lura Woodside Watkins throughout her book, Early New England Potters and Their Wares.
According to Watkins, "Nickerson devoted much of his life to discovering the secrets of various glaze colors and especially to the reproduction of the famous oxblood red...the best of his dragon's-blood red is a pure rich color, glowing with a golden luster that catches the light in changing hues. Only three hundred pieces of this description were complete...These vases were severely simple, in forms that always expressed the oriental influence. In the course of his attempts to produce red, Robertson also obtained a deep sea green, an apple green, mustard yellow, greenish blue, maroon and rich purple...These many colors and combinations of color, were a delight to the eye, and were, indeed, one of the first sources of ceramic inspiration to me."
The jar found in Beverly Farms is the first time I have seen a Chelsea product with a red glaze modeled after an ancient Chinese form of this size. They are usually a lot smaller measuring only a matter of inches. In fact, I have never seen another form such as this attributed to Chelsea before. This jar appears to fall more in line with the products that were made under the direction of John G. Low rather than the typical products of the Chelsea Keramic Art Works. It is possible that Low also made Chinese-style vases with very-little evidence of their manufacture known today. There were many maker's marks used in Chelsea; unfortunately, this jar is not marked, but it fits many of the descriptions of products associated with Chelsea. I would be very-surprised to learn it is from another maker.
There is a chance this jar was made at C.A. Lawrence Pottery since the company is known for making a large selection of ancient Chinese-style products (and it was found in Beverly); however I have not seen anything like this attributed to Beverly before. My belief may change at a later date, but for now - everything about it suggests it was made in Chelsea - especially the color of it.
Probably Chelsea Keramic Art Works Red Earthenware Jar - Chelsea, Ma
Modeled After an Ancient Chinese-Style with an Oxblood Red Glaze
Unmarked
Ca. 1870s
Wonderful Form and Applied Ring Handles
Stands 10" Tall
The Red Clay Color is Pale, But Not White
Products made in Chelsea and Beverly appear to have been a popular product with the residents of Cape Ann Massachusetts in the the nineteenth-century. This is not the first time I have found products made by these two businesses in the same household. Below is another Chelsea product that was found in a Maine home along with two garden planters made at C.A. Lawrence Pottery.
There is a chance this jar was also made at C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, but it's smooth feel suggests Chelsea. It feels like it has been polished. The form is a known Beverly form, but the feel of the clay appears to set it apart from the Beverly products. My future studies will hopefully give me an exact attribution. This also may be related to the paint-work done by John G. Low in Chelsea.
Likely Chelsea Keramic Art Works Red Earthenware Jar - Chelsea, Ma
Possibly C.A. Lawrence Pottery Red Earthenware Jar - Beverly, Ma
Unmarked
Found in a Maine Home Along with 2 Beverly Products
Nicely Decorated in Hand-Painted Blueberries and Apples on Top of a Vibrant Yellow
Ca. 1870s or 1880s
Stands 10" Tall
I haven't written much about the Beverly and Chelsea businesses together on this website; although a study of both provides a better understanding of what was happening to the Massachusetts potter after the Industrial Revolution had begun. The way these two businesses either A) altered their company, or B) established their company - really helped define and shape what the coastal Massachusetts potter's industry turned into as industries changed the face of production forever. Smaller potters were no longer scattered from town-to-town. Larger potters instead expanded the reach of their product lines - and better forms of transportation contributed to the wholesale and retail distribution of companies like C.A. Lawrence Pottery and the Chelsea Keramic Art Works. These were two of the businesses that were able to thrive in Massachusetts all while the Industrial Revolution happened.
Much More to Come...
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