EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: Another Look at the 19th Century Norcross Pottery of Farmington, Maine

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Another Look at the 19th Century Norcross Pottery of Farmington, Maine - Report Number 2

Norcross Pottery Report Number 1

A friend, Dr. Mark Chaplin visited my house today in Newburyport, Massachusetts - and, a topic that we discussed was the origin of a lidded red earthenware jar that I own that was previously part of the Dr. Burton W. Pearl, MD collection. I purchased the jar last summer when Dr. Pearl opted to downsize his antique collection; I remember driving four hours to a small auction house in Blue Hills, Maine to bid on the majority of the red earthenware in the sale. I left my house at 6:00 am - I arrived moments before the sale began at 10:00 am. Ironically, the sale was held at the same time as the New Hampshire Antique Dealers Association Show during Antiques Week in New Hampshire last August.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a report that briefly discussed the nineteenth-century Norcross Pottery in Farmington, Maine. The Norcross family is known for a group of jugs and pitchers today that were incised with a line applied around the middle of the form's body, which often caused an obvious indentation (see pictures below). As far as I can see - this is a unique characteristic found in America's utilitarian red earthenware potter's industry. I have never seen another form with a related feature made anywhere else in America in the eighteenth or the nineteenth-centuries. Another characteristic of this business, that is slightly unique, were the colorful glazes that were often applied on the lips and handles of any given form - often, a greenish glaze was used to decorate the tops of these wares. To add to this discussion, many of the wares that have survived today - also appear to have been over-fired leaving some kind of burn mark or loss of glaze on one side of the form. It's subtle on some pieces, while on others - it is very noticeable.

Our talk today developed because the jar that I acquired from the Dr. Burton W. Pearl collection exhibits obvious Norcross Pottery-like characteristics. We both agreed that the jar is probably from a potter, who worked well-north of Portland, Maine in the 1800's. We also noticed that the jar is over-fired with a green glaze applied on the lip and on top of the lid's finial. Interestingly, the underside of the lid is incised with what appears to be a Roman numeral 'III.' The color of the green glaze is reminiscent of other green glazes found on forms properly attributed to the Norcross Pottery today.

If this piece turns out to belong to the Norcross Pottery - then it must be seen as a very-important example of Maine-made pottery because it would add another form to the Norcross Pottery output that is not known today. Jars like this have never before been attributed to the Norcross family. This is also the only surviving jar that I know of today in this form.

I have also included a picture of another jug that exhibits a matching green glaze around the lip that may or many not be a Norcross Pottery product. The only jugs today that are attributed to the Norcross family exhibit some kind of incised line around the middle of the jug - this jug was not incised with a line. It's possibly the small country business did not apply all of its jug with an incised line - it is also possible that this jug was made by a nearby potter, who was inspired by the decoration used by the Norcross family. The handle of this large jug is also different from the more A-typical Norcross Pottery handles.