EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: A Rare Massachusetts Red Earthenware Pitcher Compared to a Sherd that is Owned by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

A Rare Massachusetts Red Earthenware Pitcher Compared to a Sherd that is Owned by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

I visited the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. two days ago to study the museum's collection of eighteenth, nineteenth and early-twentieth century American-made red earthenware and stoneware, as well as the archaeology collections from various potter's sites in New England and New York. I will be writing about much of the archaeology over the next few weeks; although, I will also share some of the important objects that I saw, as well

Nevertheless, I picked up this wonderful late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth century green and maroon glazed red earthenware pitcher on my way to the Smithsonian last week. I successfully won this object at an onsite auction in New Jersey a few week's ago during Columbus Day Weekend, and the auctioneer had brought it back to their auction gallery in northeast Pennsylvania. The color on this object is incredible; whereas, it is attributed to the potter's industry in southeastern Massachusetts. But I have never seen this form from this industry before even though the handle, the glaze and the footed base are known from the potter's businesses in this section of Massachusetts. This is also a distinct glaze that I have never seen from any other potter's industry before.

However, I was excited to learn at the Smithsonian that Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares) had collected a matching decorated red earthenware sherd in Somerset, Massachusetts in the 1940s.

I have always found it difficult to attribute some of the red earthenware from southeastern Massachusetts to a specific potter's business, as a result of the number of potters, who were employed in the 1700s and 1800s. Although, I believe this sherd can now attribute this wonderful pitcher to Somerset, which likely means that this object was made at either the Chace Pottery or the Puritan Pottery in the late-1700s or early-1800s.

Somerset, Massachusetts Potter's Industry

George Brown (Somerset, MA)

Samuel B. Collins (Somerset, MA)

Benjamin Cartwright Chase Jr. – son of Benjamin (Norwalk, CT and Somerset, MA)

Joseph Gray (Somerset, MA) - 1854

Benajmin Cleveland (Somerset, MA) – 1856

Charles E. Hathaway (Somerset, MA) – 1880-1895

Chace Family Pottery

Leonard Chace – son of Clark (Somerset, MA)

Stephen Chace III – son of Stephen II (Somerset, MA)

Clark Chace – son of Asa (Somerset, MA)

Asa Chace (Somerset, MA) - 1744-1812

Stephen Chace – son of Asa (Somerset, MA) – 1769-1815

Elijah Cornell (Swansea “Somerset”, MA and New York State) – 1771-1862

Stephen Chace II – son of Stephen (Somerset, MA) – d. after 1824

Joseph Chace – son of Asa (Somerset, MA) – 1785-1815

Enoch Boyce Chace (Berkley and Somerset, MA) – 1794-1825

Clark Chace Jr. – son of Asa (Somerset, MA) – b. 1814

Benjamin G. Chace Sr. – son of Clark (Somerset, MA) – b. 1812

Purinton Pottery of South Danvers and Somerset, MA

Daniel Purinton (South Danvers and Somerset, MA) – d. 1764

Clark Purinton – son of Daniel (Somerset, Mass) – 1730-1786

Clark Purinton Jr. – son of Clark (Somerset, Mass) – d. 1817

George Purinton – son of Clark Jr. (Somerset, Mass) - 1835

David P. Purinton – son of Samuel (Somersett, MA) – 1856

Dexter Purinton (Somerset, MA) - 1856

George S. Purinton (Somerset, MA) – 1856

Samuel S. Purinton (Somersett, MA) – 1856

Shove Family of Swansea & Berkely, Mass

Theophilus Shove (Somerset, Mass) – 1741-1831

Synan Family of Somerset

Patrick Synan (Somerset, MA) – 1893
William Synan (Somerset, MA) - 1893

Note: This pitcher was likely never made with a lid; although, a previous owner did carve a make-do wooden cover with a ceramic knob that fits it perfectly. I also suspect that this lid was made for this object in the nineteenth century.

Red Earthenware Pitcher Acquired from Onsite Sale in New Jersey