I have written about these type of hand-made slip decorated red earthenware figures in the past, most notably a bull that I purchased from Nan Gurley's onsite sale in Parsonfield, Maine in 2016, which was also featured in Antiques & the Arts Weekly.
I know about six examples in existence, four of which have all been found in Maine, including this bull that I purchased a few days ago with my niece Alexis in Scarborough, Maine. It is the same form as the other bull, although, the slip decoration is different. But I also think the fact that four have been found in Maine may hold some indication as to where they were made; I also know about one that was found in Pennsylvania and another in Ontario.
I have absolutely no proof of it, but I am curious to learn whether this could be a type of production from Canada that may have been somewhat forgotten through the years. I suspect these figures date anywhere from the late nineteenth century to the early/mid twentieth century. The reason I suggest Canada is A) I have now found four of these in separate parts of Maine with no real explanation as to why they are there, and B) the clay color and the color of the white slip is similar to known production from Nova Scotia. Although, it should be noted that some of the Nova Scotia production is also similar to wares made in England.
Nevertheless, though, I certainly think this is an interesting type of whimsical production where the forms I have been able to document are sheep, cows and bulls. In some ways, this also reminds me of the well-known figures that were produced in Pennsylvania during the circa 1840-1880 period, even though they are not related.
Any thoughts? Has anyone reading this post seen these exact type of figures before? It would be great to learn where they were made!
A Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Figure of a Bull Found in Maine
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
No comments:
Post a Comment