According to Historic New England, "A mecca for lovers of American folk art, Cogswell's Grant was the summer home of Bertram and Nina Fletcher Little. The colonial-era farmhouse is a rich backdrop for their celebrated collection, assembled over nearly sixty years. Though known for their research, the Littles decorated with an eye for visual delight rather than historic accuracy. Their home is rich in atmosphere and full of strong, even quirky character."
The slip-decorated red earthenware pitcher (which I have already referenced) is attributed by the museum to Joseph Goodell (1755-1829) from Warwick New Hampshire. However, I have not been able to find any documented evidence, where there was ever a potter named, Joseph Goodell, who produced eighteenth-century red earthenware in New England. But there was a Joseph Goodell (1735-1829), who was one of the first settlers in Warwick, Massachusetts; although, he was not a potter.
I am also not sure how the Warwick, New Hampshire attribution was developed, either. I feel this type of skilled object would have been more likely produced somewhere around coastal Massachusetts or coastal New Hampshire, where there was a larger population to sell such skilled wares in the 1700's.
Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins did not mention a potter named, Joseph Goodell, either in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares.' She also did not cite any type of red earthenware production in Warwick, New Hampshire or even Warwick, Massachusetts in the eighteenth or nineteenth-centuries.
Presumably, this object must have been created by a highly skilled potter, who was also proficient in applying slip-decoration. This was not just a random piece of pottery made by a random potter. This kind of skill was typically found with the potter's industries located around coastal Massachusetts in the eighteenth-century.
The form of this object also appears like it may be a hybrid of a tyg, which is a large English mug that was manufactured with three or more handles in the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth-centuries. The multiple handles allowed for more than one person to drink from the mug.
This pitcher is also said to have been manufactured, circa 1788, but I do not know how that year was developed since there is no obvious date written in slip (on the pitcher).
Nevertheless, this pitcher is prominently decorated with a group of slip-spheres, which are surrounded by a number of slip-dots. This is a classic style of English slip-decoration.
The only instance, where I have seen this type of slip-decoration created in eighteenth-century New England, was by a group of potters, who are linked to the Charlestown, Massachusetts potter's industry before 1775. The most prominent examples of this type of slip-decoration are found on a pair of mugs (see below for one of the mugs), which were recovered in a mid-eighteenth-century archaeological context at the Three Crane's Tavern in Charlestown. But, I have seen additional archaeological evidence from Charlestown, as well.
I have also seen a whole mug (see below) with this type of sphere and dot decoration that was discovered in the 1970's by Portsmouth, New Hampshire antiques dealer, Hollis Brodrick. This mug is also tied to the potter's industry in Charlestown.
The handle on these mugs were also lightly striped in slip-decoration, which is also a style of decoration that is seen on the pitcher that is owned by Historic New England.
Understandably, this pitcher has generated a number of questions -- 1) Who is Joseph Goodell? 2) Did Nina Fletcher Little find this object in Warwick, New Hampshire (or Warwick, Massachusetts)? Or was Warwick the provenance that she was told when she purchased this pitcher? That may explain why it is said to have been made there. 3) Why is this pitcher said to have been made in 1788? 4) Could this be a previously undocumented example of Charlestown, Massachusetts red earthenware, as a result of the unusual slip-decoration?
Note: The unusual slip-decoration suggests (to me) that there is a good chance that this pitcher was made in Charlestown before 1775. Here is a link to the object on Historic New England's website.
Cogswell's Grant, Essex, Massachusetts
View of How the Pitcher Sits Today at Cogswell's Grant in Essex, Mass.
Photo Courtesy: Cogswell's Grant, Historic New England
Another View of How the Pitcher Sits Today at Cogswell's Grant in Essex, Mass.
Photo Courtesy: Cogswell's Grant, Historic New England
18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Pitcher
18th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Signed in Slip 'Joseph Goodell'
Nina Fletcher Little Collection at Cogswell's Grant - Essex, Mass.
The Multiple Handles Make it Appear like a Hybrid of an English Tyg
Stands 7" Tall
The Multiple Handles Make it Appear like a Hybrid of an English Tyg
Stands 7" Tall
Note: This Photo was Taken with a Bright Light
Photo Courtesy: Cogswell's Grant, Historic New England
Another View of the Slip-Decoration
Photo Courtesy: Cogswell's Grant, Historic New England
Another View of the Slip-Decoration
This Sphere and Dot Decoration is Found on Pottery Made in Charlestown, Mass. Before 1775
Comparable Decorations are Shown on Objects Below with Ties to Charlestown, Mass.
This Sphere and Dot Decoration is Found on Pottery Made in Charlestown, Mass. Before 1775
Comparable Decorations are Shown on Objects Below with Ties to Charlestown, Mass.
Photo Courtesy: Cogswell's Grant, Historic New England
English Red Earthenware Tygs
Late-17th Century English Red Earthenware Tyg Sherd
Recovered in a Late-17th Century Archaeological Context in Charlestown, Mass.
Photo Courtesy: Boston Archaeology Dept. - West Roxbury, Mass.
18th Century Slip Decorated Sgraffito Earthenware Tyg
Dated 1774
Attributed to the Donyatt Pottery in Somerset, England
Stands 6 1/4" Tall
Measures 11 1/4" Wide
Photo Courtesy: The Flynt Center, Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, MA
Another View of the Tyg
Photo Courtesy: The Flynt Center, Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, MA
Red Earthenware Mug Recovered in Charlestown, Mass.
18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Mug Found in Charlestown, Mass.
Uncovered in a Mid-18th Century Archaeological Context at the Three Cranes Tavern
Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Mass.
View of the Slip-Decoration
The Slip-Decoration is Very-Similar to the Style Found on HNE's Pitcher
Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Mass.
Another View of the Mug
Photo Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Commission - Boston, Mass.
Red Earthenware Mug Tied to Charlestown, Mass.
18th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Mug Tied to Charlestown, Mass.
The Slip-Decoration Matches the Style Found on HNE's Pitcher
The Slip-Decoration Matches the Style Found on HNE's Pitcher
Circa 1730-1760
Stands Approximately 5" Tall
Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick - Portsmouth, NH
Another View of the Decoration
Photo Courtesy: Hollis Brodrick - Portsmouth, NH
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