18th or Early 19th Century New England-Made Red Earthenware Jug
Possibly Made in Southeastern, Mass.
Ca. 1770-1810
Stands 10" Tall
Purchased in 2014 at the New Hampshire Antique Dealers Association Show in Manchester, NH
Originally Found by Antique Dealer, Michael Seward in a Vermont Home
View of the Handle
Another View of the Jug
Another View of the Jug
View of the Interior
A few months later, I was surprised to see a related example, when I attended the Historic Deerfield (Massachusetts) Antiques Show in Western Massachusetts last fall. The museum owns a similar jug that was brokered into Historic Deerfield a few years ago as part of the William T. Brandon Memorial Collection of American Redware and Ceramics.
According to the museum, "Jugs, were used for the storage of everything from water to wine, whiskey, vinegar, oil - and even tar are among America's earliest uses. Redware jugs range in size from a half-pint to one-gallon (or more); larger examples are rare (today) due to both their weight and fragile nature."
Incredibly, the jug retains an old label from 1918 that reads, "Attributed to the Barnstable (Massachusetts, Cape Cod) Pottery, Coll'd (Collected), 1918, West Barnstable, Mass." The only business that I know of today that operated in West Barnstable was the Parker-Bradford Pottery; however, more information would be needed to properly attribute any of these jugs to that specific business. The business was run by Noah Bradford (1761-1841) - and, his nephew, Daniel Parker, Jr. Another Parker, Benjamin Parker was also involved with the business. Unfortunately, this was mostly a nineteenth-century company - so, I am skeptical, whether or not any of these jugs could have been made at the Parker-Bradford Pottery seeing the age that these jugs possess. I've always been taught that just because an object was found in a certain place, it doesn't mean that it was manufactured in that exact town or city.
18th Century New England-Made Red Earthenware Jug
Possibly Made in Southeastern, Mass.
Ca. 1790
Stands Roughly 9"-10" Tall
William T. Brandon Memorial Collection of American Redware and Ceramics
Photo Courtesy: Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, Mass.
Another View of the Jug
Photo Courtesy: Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, Mass.
Old Tag that Accompanied the Jug
Reads, 'Attributed to Barnstable Pottery, Coll'd 1918, West Barnstable, Mass.'
Photo Courtesy: Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, Mass.
View of How the Jug is Displayed in Historic Deerfield (Mass.) Today
I have also, since, realized that another related example sold as part of an important collection that was consigned to Massachusetts auctioneer, Willis Henry in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 2013. Supposedly, this Massachusetts collection was a well-kept secret for more than forty-years. The glaze color on this jug is different than that, which is seen, on the previous two examples; however, the overall form is similar.
Some people, who occasionally read my website have asked for auction results in the past - I don't know the exact price that this jug achieved; although, I do remember that it sold for around $10,000 (or more). I can recall that I was in awe of this piece the first time that I saw pictures of it - honestly, I had never seen anything like it before. My immediate reaction was that it must date from the eighteenth-century - and, I still feel that way today. Presumably, I feel that all of the objects in today's report are eighteenth-century products. Any kind of domestic utilitarian pottery from the 1700's is very-rare today - especially, objects of this stature and size - as a result, I am hesitant to provide any insight into where these jugs were made. But, with taking key characteristics like the handle and the rounded foot into consideration, I feel that there is a strong chance that all of these jugs are important objects that were made near the Taunton River in Southeastern Massachusetts sometime after the American Revolution and before the year 1800.
18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to Southeastern Massachusetts
Ca. 1770-1810
Stands 8" Tall
Photo Courtesy: Willis Henry Auctions - Marshfield, Mass.
View of the Top of the Jug
Photo Courtesy: Willis Henry Auctions - Marshfield, Mass.
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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