EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: Another Example of Marked Pottery Identified from the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Another Example of Marked Pottery Identified from the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts

It has been frustrating, but also at the same time rewarding, while researching the history of pottery production through the years at the Charles A. Lawrence (1829-1906) Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts. Documentation of this company's production has been very limited, and I have found that this business is actually among the more diverse companies that operated anywhere in New England in the nineteenth century. For instance, the C.A. Lawrence Pottery produced a wide variety of utilitarian objects, artware, fancyware, commemorative bean pots, Grecian-style pottery, and plenty more, along with being a broker for other wares like sewer pipe from Portland, Maine.

Yesterday, I learned about this large painted terracotta jug with a glazed interior that is marked on the base, "Beverly Pottery Antiquarian Centennial." This paint is original, and was likely created by Thomas Pitman, an artist employed at the company from Marblehead, Massachusetts. A simpler version of this hand-painted design is found on a Beverly vase owned by the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in Colorado.

I was told that this piece was found at a flea market last spring in southern Connecticut, and then sold again online for a small profit. I would love to acquire this piece for my studies, should anyone reading this know of its whereabouts.

The aspect about this object that intrigues me is the fact that the base is marked, which serves as an important link in identifying similar unmarked pieces that I believe I have seen over the years. For example, a large painted vase with a nature scene comes to mind that I have seen three times a year for the past six or seven years at the antique shows in Brimfield, Massachusetts. I have handled this vase many times, but I have never been able to identify its origin or maker. But it's a signed piece like this that is important for documentation purposes, as well as identifying another style of painted pottery that I have not previously recognized as having been produced in Beverly after 1872.

I should also note that the Beverly Historical Society owns a Grecian-style ewer that is painted with both floral and ancient designs. I believe all of the decoration on this piece is original, showing a very interesting crossover of two styles of production from the artisans who were employed in Beverly.

Marked Beverly, Mass. Hand-Painted Terracotta Jug

19th Century Hand-Painted Terracotta Jug - The Paint is Original

Made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Marked on the Base "Beverly Pottery Antiquarian Centennial"

Circa 1872-1900

Stands 11" Tall

Measures 4 1/2" in Diameter at the Top