I thought this was one of the more exciting lots in Crocker Farm's most recent sale in Sparks, Maryland, which is identified as a late eighteenth or early nineteenth century red earthenware rundlet attributed to Bristol County, Massachusetts. Although the aspect about this object that really made it quite special is the fact that each end is decorated with a slip decorated bird, a type of decoration that is extremely rare from Bristol County, and basically anywhere in New England. Even more so, though is the fact that the only other instance that I have seen slip decorated birds applied on red earthenware from Bristol County is a pair of very important marriage jars displayed in the Americana Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
According to an article that I posted to this website on September 3, 2018, "I was first introduced to this remarkable pair of red earthenware marriage jars, made for George and Debby Purinton in Somerset, Massachusetts by Falmouth, Massachusetts antiques dealers, Hilary and Paulette Nolan, as well as Sheffield, Massachusetts antiques dealer, Sam Herrup. On a few occasions, I have written about these objects on this website, but I also recently cited the jars in a feature story I wrote about the eighteenth and nineteenth century pottery industry in southeastern Massachusetts for the June 2018 issue of Maine Antique Digest.
However, I only knew about the existence of these jars based on an advertisement placed by antiques dealers, John Bihler and Henry Coger in the January 1974 edition of the Magazine Antiques. Although, I knew the jars have been in private ownership since the 1970s, but I was not aware they had been recently gifted to a prominent museum in New York City.I recently learned that they had been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art thanks to Port Jefferson, New York collector, Anthony Butera who frequently visits the museum. Apparently, the jars have been in Manhattan for a few years now, but they were just recently added to an exhibit for public viewing in Gallery 704, located in the museum's Americana Wing.
According to the MET, "In the 1970s, Robert A. Ellison Jr. began collecting the works of the most celebrated European artist-potters favoring large-scale works with stunning glazes. The Museum recently acquired 76 works from the Ellison Collection that represent some of the best examples of Art Pottery produced in Europe between 1880 and 1930.
Bob Ellison also made a spectacular promised gift of more than 300 American ceramics to the Museum in 2009 (which include these marriage jars that finally made their way to the museum in 2015)."
Aside from the history, these jars demonstrate a miraculous amount of skill, especially the style of slip-decoration, utilizing plenty of script and prominent birds, which is hardly found with red earthenware production in New England before or after the American Revolution. But the handles are also fascinating since this form of jar is typically found without handles today.
Here is also a link to a New York Times article from 2009, which further analyzes Robert A. Ellison Jr.'s Collection; whereas, Antiques and the Arts Weekly has also published some stories about Ellison in recent years."
Bristol County, Mass. Red Earthenware Rundlet with Slip Decorated Birds
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