A Comparison of Two Similar Jars from Different Origins

A research subject that I have been working on for sometime now is the life's work of Abner S. Wight (1822-1905), a red earthenware potter from New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The pottery he made in West Sterling, Massachusetts in the 1850s and 1860s is often misinterpreted for pottery made in Maine today, but his family was also influential at the industry in and around Chesham Village in Dublin and Marlborough, New Hampshire.

I have previously written about and published a locally made late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth century red earthenware jar from the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, which is almost identical to pottery made in Lyon, France after 1750. The jar had to have been either inspired from French production or very possibly made by a French immigrant potter, who arrived with the French Huguenot population that migrated to places like Boston and Salem during this period.

However, French pottery was also influential with some Boston-area potters, especially during the Arts and Crafts Movement, such as some of the wares made at the William Grueby Faience Company. But while researching the history of Wight's production in West Sterling, I think some of his production may held more meaning than what is recognized today.

For example, I posted two jars below - the style of the jar illustrated to the right is often identified as production from Maine today because of the colorful glaze. Although, it was actually made at Wight's company in West Sterling based on archaeology and identical surviving marked jars. The stoneware jar pictured to the left may look like it was made in West Sterling, as well, but this is actually identified as a confit pot made in France in the nineteenth and twentieth century. The forms are very similar, while the French pot stands about one-inch taller.

A Comparison of Two Similar Jars from Different Origins

(Left) Stoneware Confit Pot Made in France

Stands 9 7/8" Tall

(Right) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to Abner S. Wight's Pottery in West Sterling, Mass.

Circa 1850s to 1860s

Stands 8 3/4" Tall

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View of the Handles

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