EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: A Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Bottle that Retains a 20th Century History of Ownership in Pennsylvania

Thursday, March 1, 2018

A Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Bottle that Retains a 20th Century History of Ownership in Pennsylvania

This morning's article shows a finely thrown slip-decorated red earthenware bottle that I believe was produced sometime around the turn of the nineteenth century, but it may have been made earlier, as well. I purchased it years ago from Robesonia, Pennsylvania antiques dealer, Greg Kramer who had acquired it from the lifelong collection of Lester Breininger (1935-2011), an accomplished and influential twentieth and twenty-first century Pennsylvania-German potter who also lived in Robesonia.

Greg told me that he had originally sold this bottle to Lester, and it was discovered in Pennsylvania in the 1970s or 1980s. I was also told that Lester had owned it for decades; although, I was not able to obtain any further information. But I assume there must have been a reason why Lester owned such an object, considering the amount of knowledge that he possessed.

Lester Breininger, Pennsylvania-German Potter

20th Century Image of Lester Breininger with a Pot Made by Potters at His Pottery
The Pot was Made by Master Potter, Greg Zieber and Slip Trailed by Wesley Muckey

Lester Breininger Owned the Bottle Discussed in this Article for Decades

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Reading, PA Eagle

Nevertheless, I have not been able to determine a specific origin for this bottle; however, I have always regarded it as an object that could have been made in either North Carolina or Pennsylvania. I have repeatedly leaned more towards eastern Pennsylvania, but I have yet to find any evidence to support such a claim.

There have been numerous times now that I have written on this website that attributions should not be developed based on merely just a glaze, whereas it should always be about the form first. But this glaze may be an exception since it reminds me of various objects that were produced in North Carolina in the eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries, as well as some of the sgraffito decorated objects manufactured throughout Pennsylvania during the same time period.

I am certainly open to opinions and thoughts about this object if there is anyone reading this who can provide legitimate evidence, preferably archaeological artifacts, which could possibly support an attribution. I also want to reiterate that this is a finely thrown bottle made by a skilled potter, and the glaze also appears accomplished.

To my knowledge, this is the only object known today that displays this combination of form and glaze. I have not been able to locate any similar objects or related artifacts in any of the museum collections, private collections or archaeology collections that I have studied.

Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Bottle