A few days ago, I posted an article about the red earthenware that sold last Friday at Merrill's Auctions in Williston, Vermont; the pieces had been deaccessioned from the Vermont Historical Society in Montpelier in order to benefit the museum. And I also noted that those objects included an absolutely incredible glazed red earthenware pitcher.
I ended up purchasing the pitcher for my personal collection, and these photos reveal how the beautiful multi-colored glaze actually appears in hand. I took the pictures moments after I won the pitcher outside the auction gallery.
Interestingly, since this piece was previously owned by the Vermont Historical Society and the accession number is boldly written on the base - I contacted the museum yesterday to see if they could provide any additional information about the history of this object.
According to the historical society's collections manager Teresa Greene, "The pitcher was previously owned by Harold Goddard Rugg (1883-1957) who left a lasting legacy at the Vermont Historical Society. He was a prolific collector, former curator at the museum and assistant librarian at Dartmouth College, along with being a graduate of Dartmouth College."
Rugg's interests included ephemera, glass, ceramics and pewter. He is considered to be one of the early pioneers in collecting Vermont-made glass and pottery, and he used his research skills to track down examples. He placed advertisements in local newspapers seeking information. Once he obtained names, he often tracked down family members and corresponded with them for information and acquired pieces from descendants of workers or people who lived near the pottery or glassworks. He carefully recorded information and labeled his finds. He corresponded with other major collectors and experts of the subject. He became a close friend of Clarence Pitkin, curator at the Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art in Hartford and writer on New England pottery. He corresponded regularly with Vermont pottery and glass collector John Spargo (1876-1966) and bought many pieces of Bennington pottery from him. When Spargo wrote his book Early American Pottery and China (1926) he used Rugg's Vermont pieces from Burlington, Middlebury and Fairfax as his illustrations (Plate 19). Rugg's St. Johnsbury stoneware water cooler was used as the book's first illustration (Plate 1). Spargo referred to Rugg in his book as that "indefatigable collector" (p. 175-176). Other collectors Rugg kept in contact with included glass and pottery expert George McKearin (1874-1958) and Bennington pottery collector Dr. Charles Green. Spargo called his collecting "hobby-riding," referring to the time he spent in the car driving around Vermont's back roads tracking down information and new acquisitions. Rugg logged hours in his car searching for new pieces for his collections, usually combining his trips with visits to friends or participating in his other passions in life.
The link is posted above, although, here it is again to a book written by Jacqueline Calder in 2008 about Rugg's life and published by the Vermont Historical Society, titled, Harrold Goddard Rugg's Legacy at the Vermont Historical Society.
Harold Goddard Rugg (1883-1957)
This pitcher was almost undoubtedly discovered by Rugg in his travels in Vermont; although, it may have actually been manufactured in Maine, circa 1820-1840. Nonetheless, it is really a great object!
Northern New England Red Earthenware Pitcher from the VT Historical Society
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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