EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: A Group of Red Earthenware that Sold in the Tannanbaum Collection Today at Northeast Auctions in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Saturday, August 19, 2017

A Group of Red Earthenware that Sold in the Tannanbaum Collection Today at Northeast Auctions in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Earlier today, I purchased a lot of red earthenware from 'The Collection of Doris & Stanley Tananbaum' at Northeast Auctions in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The lot consisted of two red earthenware mugs, as well as a red earthenware shaving cup.

I do not want to get into great detail about each of these objects tonight, but I feel I have a possible attribution for each object.

1) The first red earthenware mug shown below closely resembles objects that were made on Long Island in the early-to-mid nineteenth century. Interestingly, these types of objects have been recovered at archaeology sites and constructions sites in New York City.

2) The second red earthenware mug closely resembles mugs, which have been recovered in eighteenth century contexts in Philadelphia; whereas, the handle, the finger impression at the base of the handle, the base, the refinement of the mug and the ribbed midsection are all characteristics that I have seen attributed to Philadelphia.

3) The red earthenware shaving cup shares a number of characteristics with pitchers that were made in Peabody, Massachusetts in the nineteenth century. It is difficult to say which potter's business may be responsible since there were so many, but the dark exterior glaze (see shaving cup in group photo below) combined with the colorful interior glaze are spot on for a few pitchers that I have seen from Peabody, Massachusetts, which are owned today by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. But the way the base was cut by the potter, the handle and the incised line placed tightly around the rim also closely match styles that I have seen from Peabody.

1) Red Earthenware Mug