An Unusual and Possibly Rare Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Jug Currently Without a Defined Origin

A few weeks ago, I wrote about an extremely rare red earthenware vase made by the late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century red earthenware and stoneware potter, William Pecker of Merrimacport (formerly West Amesbury), Massachusetts. Previously, I had never seen such a form from Pecker before. The most common forms seen from this potter today (and none of Pecker's work should be considered common) are stew pots, pitchers and herb pots. The vase was extremely well made - and actually more thickly potted than some of Pecker's more traditional forms. The vase was found by an accomplished picker in a Rhode Island home earlier this year.

That same picker also found this wonderfully slip decorated miniature handled jug in Rhode Island. I am not sure if the Pecker vase and miniature jug were discovered in the same home at this time - so for the sake of this report, let's assume they were not.

The miniature jug is fragile. It was thinly potted by a very skilled potter. The jug appears like it may have had a lid at one time, but I am not positive of that either. There is very little wear beyond the small amount seen around the edge of the lip; although a lack of wear or a great deal of it should not always be an indicator of age. There are many ways material culture can contribute to a form's condition today; probably the number one contributor is merely that some pieces were cared for more than others over the years

Other characteristics I would like to point out; the handle is also fragile, the unusual base and the manner in which the slip was applied actually reminds me of a stencil. To me personally, it appears like a unique piece that if there was a purpose it was specific - it wasn't like some forms that could be used for any given number of specific needs.

I am not aware of this jug's age or its origin; however it is a piece that I do enjoy as part of my collection - and I wanted to share it on this website.

It should be important to note that these pictures were not taken in direct sunlight and without a camera flash because I did not want the slip decoration to be diluted from how it actually appears in person. The colors are all correct in these photos; although envision the jug a little brighter when light is reflected on it. The jug is pictured between two glass insulators for an accurate size comparison.

 Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Handled Jug

Age Unknown - Although it Appears 19th Century

Origin Also Unknown

Measures 2 3/4" Tall

Recently Found by an Accomplished Picker in a Rhode Island Home

 The Slip Decoration Appears Like it May Have Been Applied by a Stencil

 Another View of the Slip Decoration

 View of the Handle

 View of the Handle

 View of the Interior

Another View of the Slip Decoration

A quick look ahead: I will be attending an estate sale (where everything must go from the cellar to the attic) in Beverly, Massachusetts this coming Saturday morning. It's an early home - so I am hopeful I will dig out a story or two to tell.

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...