EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: A Recently Discovered 19th Century Black-Glazed Creamer or Pitcher Found in Central New Hampshire

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

A Recently Discovered 19th Century Black-Glazed Creamer or Pitcher Found in Central New Hampshire

On my way home from Antiques Week in New Hampshire a few weeks ago, I found a nineteenth-century black glazed red earthenware creamer or pitcher in a small shop in central New Hampshire. The dealer told me it was also found in New Hampshire.

I was immediately drawn to the glaze and the form of this object. But the manufacture of this object also reminded me of red earthenware teapots, which are often attributed to the Thomas Crafts Pottery in Whately, Massachusetts today. The creamer or pitcher's inverted base along with the placement of kiln furniture that can been seen from the scar marks, which were left, also reminded me of Crafts Pottery teapots that I have seen at places like Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, various private collections and at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

In-hand, this creamer or pitcher appears entirely black-glazed; however, the following photographs show how the glaze alters itself with a camera flash.

Interestingly, I have also included photographs of a black-glazed red earthenware teapot owned by the University of Massachusetts at Boston Archaeology Department, which is possibly tied to the Thomas Crafts Pottery. The glaze on this object also appears different with a camera flash. The teapot was excavated in an early-nineteenth-century context on Castle Island in South Boston, Massachusetts.

The big difference between the following two objects are the handles, where the teapot's handle appears like it was press-molded, and the creamer or pitcher's handle was pulled by hand.

Nevertheless, I believe this is a rare creamer or pitcher that was possibly made in Massachusetts before 1840. It makes me wonder if there were other potters in New England, who were producing teapots in this style besides the few names that are known today.

Note: I did not photograph the base of the teapot; although, it is very similar to how the base was manufactured on the creamer or pitcher. This creamer or pitcher is also the right size for similar objects that would have been used for coffee and tea.

Creamer or Pitcher Found in Central New Hampshire