Great Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar in the Collection of Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware

This was absolutely one of my favorite objects that I viewed while touring the red earthenware and stoneware collection at Winterthur last fall in Wilmington, Delaware. Interestingly, I have seen this form of jar before, which is usually generically attributed to New England, and typically decorated with a basic single glaze - although, the museum actually attributes this jar to Pennsylvania.

To my knowledge, the manner that the slip-decoration was applied around the script on this jar is highly unusual for American red earthenware production. Considering its rarity, I actually view this object to be one of the iconic pieces of American red earthenware that represents Winterthur's collection.

This is really an object that is unlike anything else owned by Witnerthur, as well as most of the other museum collections that I have toured. I have also never seen anything like this object in any private collection that I have seen.

However, while I closely looked this piece over for a few minutes, I took the form into account, seeing that this exact shape can be attributed to New England today. But like I wrote, I have never seen anything like this slip before so I am hesitant to provide any type of information for a possible place of origin. Nevertheless, this is a spectacular piece of domestic slip-decorated red earthenware that Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969) acquired for Winterthur before 1950.

Does anyone reading this have a thought about the possible origin of this jar? Other than the form, I did notice that the slip-script resembles some slip-script plates manufactured in Norwalk, Connecticut in the 1800s.

Great Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

19th Century Slip-Script Red Earthenware Jar

Stands 10 1/4" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Winterthur

Another View of the Jar

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Photo Courtesy: Winterthur

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