EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: A Heavily Decorated 19th Century Pitcher that was Reportedly Purchased at an Estate Auction in Maryland in 1997

Saturday, November 4, 2017

A Heavily Decorated 19th Century Pitcher that was Reportedly Purchased at an Estate Auction in Maryland in 1997

According to an article that coincided with an exhibit in 2001 at the Thurmont Historical Society, which was published that same year in the Frederick News-Post in Maryland, "Pottery production goes back at least 150 years in Thurmont, Maryland. Jacob Lynn was the first known potter. He purchased land which may have continued an existing pottery from a John Hewlett, in 1845. This pottery was at the present-day Crow's Nest campground.

Lynn hired other potters, including James Mackley and Anthony Baecher. Baecher was considered one of the area's most influential potters, and in the 1850s learned most of the techniques that he later taught James Mackley. Mackley was born in Carroll County, Maryland and probably came to Thurmont about 1865.

Mackley made functional pieces of pottery that he didn't sign. These were crocks, bowls, plates and other utilitarian items. He also produced fancier objects, known as presentation pieces. The presentation pieces were vases, sugar bowls, flower pots, birdhouses, hanging planters and other decorative items. On these, he fashioned molded birds, rosettes, leaves, and other decorative features, and he often signed these, usually on the bottom."

Earlier this year, while visiting Pennsylvania, I purchased a hand-thrown lead glazed nineteenth century red earthenware pitcher decorated with applied molded figures, flowers and rosettes; whereas, this pitcher was reportedly purchased at an estate auction in Maryland in 1997. I do not have a specific attribution for this object; although, I would like to make a number of comparisons between known objects made in the Mid-Atlantic Region with the characteristics found on this pitcher.

I also understand that this pitcher could have been made in England, but I have not been able to find any mid-to-late-nineteeenth century red earthenware from England that is even remotely close to how this object was made; especially, with the amount of rosettes and the style that they are applied. Interestingly, the style that the rosettes have been applied on this pitcher closely match a style from Maryland that I discuss below.

Nonetheless, these are the characteristics that I compared:

1) Prominently placed on the front of this pitcher is an applied mold of the English character, Toby, where Toby can be seen holding a mug in one hand and a pipe in his other hand. Rockingham-glazed Toby objects were made in Baltimore, Maryland, circa 1850-1875. But there are also known objects, which depict Toby that were made by the Bell family in the Shenandoah Valley. The Bell family is also known to have manufactured additional objects depicting male figures drinking from a mug or cup.

2) Four applied molds of the same robed woman have also been applied to this pitcher; whereas, similar formed molded robed female and male figure candlesticks were made in Strasburg, Virginia, circa 1880-1900. Here are four examples that are owned today by Winterthur in Delaware:

Candlestick No. 1
Candlestick No. 2
Candlestick No. 3
Candlestick No. 4

3) The large amount of applied rosette molds around the rim and handle on this pitcher very-much resemble a style that James Mackley created with flower stamps, molded rosettes and molded tassels on an important pitcher, which is owned today by the Frederick County Historical Society in Frederick, Maryland. This pitcher is illustrated on page 192 in figures 4.315, 4.315a and 4.315b in Gene Comstock's book, 'The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region.'

4) The shape of the spout on this pitcher is a known form manufactured by James Mackley, which can be seen on objects owned by the Fredrick County Historical Society, as well as Winterthur in Delaware.

5) The rounded foot on this pitcher closely resembles the rounded feet found on sugar bowls that were made by James Mackley, which are owned today by the Maryland Historical Society and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

6) Three molded lions or tigers have also been applied to this pitcher; whereas, lions were a popular figure to depict in whimsical objects made by potters in Pennsylvania and the Shenandoah Valley in the 1800s. The most prominent example being the lions that were produced by John Bell in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania about mid-nineteenth century. Although, busts of lion's heads were also applied as decoration on objects produced in Strasburg, Virginia in the late-nineteenth century.

7) I also want to note that this pitcher does not appear like it was used everyday, which leads me to believe that it may have been made as a presentation piece. The crack in the base occurred in the firing; although, this pitcher may have occasionally been used for milk.

8) Other applied molded decorations include one crown, two matching roses with leaves, two matching trees and two additional matching flowers.

9) The color of the glaze on this pitcher closely resembles some of the glazes found on known presentation objects produced by James Mackley; whereas, the major difference seen in the glaze on the object in this link versus the images that I posted below is the lighting.

9) Lastly, it also appears that this pitcher retains traces of manganese and possibly white slip, which were likely styles of decoration that were used at this potter's business on other objects that were produced in the 1800s.

Note: There are a number of links provided in this article, which help with the discussion and comparison. I also realize that this type of decoration was produced elsewhere in America in the nineteenth century.

Pitcher Reportedly Found in Maryland in 1997