Some Good Examples of North Carolina Art Pottery Recently Found in New England

This was a good find in Essex County, Massachusetts this week - this large bowl was made by Ben Owen Sr. (1904-1983)  in Seagrove, North Carolina in the 1920s or 1930s. It is impressed on the base, "JUGTOWN WARE." 

A number of the forms that Owen's made in the early years were inspired after Chinese, Korean and Japanese ceramics, most notably those dating from the Han, T'ang and Sung dynasties in China, which were displayed at such museums as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City during this period.

This particular white glaze was inspired after both Chinese and Japanese design and became known as "Dogwood White," where some forms manufactured by Owen with this glaze were embellished with an emblem of a Dogwood tree. This glaze also won Owen a prestigious award in 1928. 

Nevertheless, the shape of this bowl is inspired after ancient design, although the style of the added Chinese green decoration that is applied on four sides of the bowl seems to be rather rare to find today - in fact, I have only been able to locate a few other examples somewhat like it, one of which recently sold at Pook & Pook in Pennsylvania. But I have not been able to find an identical decorated bowl.

Note: I have also posted two other pieces of early North Carolina art pottery that I recently found - both of which are marked on the base, "Rainbow Pottery / Hand Made / Sanford, N.C." The apothecary or drug jar is modeled after Aztec pottery and was found a few days before Christmas in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, while the three handled vase is inspired after Asian pottery and was found with the bowl discussed in this article.

Update: Current information with the Jugtown Pottery Museum in North Carolina indicates that the potter who made this bowl is currently unknown.

Examples of North Carolina Art Pottery Recently Found in New England

My Dog Jack Pictured with the Four Pieces of North Carolina Pottery

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Circa 1920s-1930s Chinese or Japanese Inspired Bowl

Made by Ben Owen Sr. in Seagrove, North Carolina

Recently Found in Essex County, Mass.

Measures 8 3/8" in Diameter and 4 3/8" Tall

Impressed on the Base "JUGTOWN WARE"

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Another View of the Bowl

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Another View of the Bowl

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Another View of the Bowl

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A View of the "JUGTOWN WARE" Mark on the Base

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Another View of the Bowl

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(Left) Circa 1920s-1930s Asian Inspired Three Handled Vase

Impressed on Base "Rainbow Pottery / Hand Made / Sanford, N.C."

Recently Found in Essex County, Mass.

Stands 9 1/4" Tall

(Right) Circa 1920s-1930s Apothecary or Drug Jar Modeled After Aztec Pottery

Impressed on Base "Rainbow Pottery / Hand Made / Sanford, N.C."

Recently Found in Portsmouth, N.H.

Stands 6 1/8" Tall

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A View of Both Jars

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A View of the Base

The Bases are Marked "Rainbow Pottery / Hand Made / Sanford, N.C."

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Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A Small Red Earthenware Flowerpot from Strasburg, Virginia Recently Discovered in Pennsylvania

A few months ago, I posted an article to this website, titled, A Rare 19th Century Red Earthenware Cat Previously Owned by a Department Head at Sotheby's in New York City, whereas I felt that cat was manufactured at S. Bell & Son in Strasburg, Virginia, seeing that it is similar to another cat with this attribution owned by the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.

Nevertheless, this is one of the smallest and most colorful red earthenware flowerpots that I have ever seen from the potteries in Strasburg, about 1890 or so. My guess is that this flowerpot was also made by Solomon Bell (1817-1882) & Son, and it is one of the few flowerpots that to my knowledge survives from this area today that is under five inches in height. This example recently surfaced in Pennsylvania, surviving in very good condition and standing only 4 7/8 inches tall.

A Small Red Earthenware Flowerpot from Strasburg, Virginia

My Dog Jack with the Flowerpot

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Late 19th Century Red Earthenware Flowerpot

Likely Made by S. Bells & Sons in Strasburg, Virginia

Recently Discovered in Pennsylvania

Circa 1890

Stands Only 4 7/8" Tall

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Another View of the Flowerpot

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Another View of the Flowerpot

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Another View of the Flowerpot in Natural Lighting

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Another View of the Flowerpot in Natural Lighting

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Another View of the Flowerpot in Natural Lighting

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A View of the Interior

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A View of the Base

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Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A Cobalt Decorated German Stoneware Tankard Found on the New Hampshire Seacoast

This is another object that I recently found in a shop located on the New Hampshire seacoast, although I know it is German in origin, however I am somewhat confused with when it was made. This cobalt decorated stoneware tankard was manufactured in a sixteenth or seventeenth century style, but the consensus seems to be that this is not a period piece, whereas I have heard it may date anywhere from the eighteenth century to around 1900. 

Interestingly, though the majority of the post-1840 or so stoneware that I have seen from Germany bears some sort of stamped information on the base, which can include the country of origin and/or some sort of number (which can also be inscribed). But that does not account for every piece that I have seen - and for what it is worth, this object is not marked on the base. 

Furthermore, this tankard is similar in form (and the same size) to a German stoneware tankard displayed as part of the Robert A. Ellison Jr. (1932-2021) Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; the museum's tankard is impressed with similar marks on the handle as those that are on the tankard that I found in New Hampshire. Both tankards are also missing their original lids.

According to the MET, "German stoneware tankards were brought to America in large numbers on Dutch fur-trading ships. Sherds of these popular vessels have been uncovered at seventeenth century sites in New York and New England (among other locations)."

I have looked in other major American art museum collections, as well as The British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, along with other museums, including some in Germany, but I have not been able to find any other tankards exactly like these two examples. Any thoughts are more than welcome! Like I said, I'm really not sure when this object was made, but it would be great to hear if anyone can add some information, whether it be an eighteenth century object or something made during the 1800-1900 period.

Update: This has been accurately identified as a circa 1880-1900 tankard (schnelle) made in Germany.

Cobalt Decorated German Stoneware Tankard Found on the N.H. Seacoast

Late 19th Century Cobalt Decorated Stoneware German Schnelle

Made in Germany, Probably Westerwald

Recently Found in the New Hampshire Seacoast

Circa 1880-1900

Stands 8 1/8" Tall

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German Stoneware Tankard Made in Germany, Probably Westerwald

Circa 1625-1640

Stands 8 1/8" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art

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A Marbled Glazed Red Earthenware Vase Found on the New Hampshire Seacoast

You may recall that a few weeks ago I found an excellent circa 1920s-1930s "Han vase" from Jugtown in Seagrove, North Carolina, while out and about along the seacoast in New Hampshire. Nonetheless, yesterday I found this unmarked small vase in another shop on the New Hampshire seacoast, which I believe was made by William J. Walley (1852-1919) in West Sterling, Massachusetts. And even though the vase does not bear Walley's signature "WJW" mark, its manufacture closely resembles Walley's production, as does the glaze which is among the best glazes I have ever seen from Walley. 

Furthermore, some of the best objects known to exist today made by Walley are exhibited as part of the Robert A. Ellison Jr. (1932-2021) Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, whereas I feel this glaze rivals some of those objects. Interestingly, my initial reaction when I saw this glaze was that it reminded me of a glass marble and for a period Walley was employed at a glasshouse in Canada.

Walley was born in East Liverpool, Ohio in 1852. His father died when he was young who was also a potter. As a result, Walley traveled to Staffordshire, England to learn the same trade as his father. He began working for Minton when he was ten and left when he was twenty-one years old.

Upon returning to the United States, Walley established his first pottery in Portland, Maine in 1873, where he made pottery until 1885. He then moved to Worcester, Massachusetts in 1885 and established a pottery there. His first two ventures achieved only moderate success.

In 1896, Walley purchased the Wachusett Pottery in West Sterling - and this is where he manufactured pottery until he died in 1919. Walley utilized local red clay and did most of the work himself.

A Marbled Glazed Red Earthenware Vase Found on the New Hampshire Seacoast

Late 19th or Early 20th Century Marbled Glazed Red Earthenware Vase

Probably Made by William J. Walley in West Sterling, Mass.

Found Yesterday on the New Hampshire Seacoast

Stands Only 4" Tall

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Another View of the Vase

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Another View of the Vase

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Another View of the Vase

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Another View of the Vase

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A View of the Base

This is How Walley's Bases Usually Appear and in the Center it is Often marked "WJW"

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Examples of North Carolina Pottery Recently Found Throughout New England

For those of you who regularly read this website - you probably know that I have been scouring the northeast states over the last six months in search of North Carolina pottery from the circa 1920-1970 period. I came up with this idea earlier this year, seeing that there is a lot of North Carolina pottery in this area because it was shipped north and sold through stores in New York City and Cambridge, Massachusetts. I personally feel it is a significant type of American production since so much of it was inspired after ancient shapes and glazes. Overall through, I have found some really good examples, much of which have also been left identified in recent years or decades.

Nonetheless, here are some recent finds, most notably I think are a related glazed Roman earthenware pitcher and ewer. I found both of these objects over the weekend in a storage area owned by a company that cleans out estates in Massachusetts. The company is based in Norwood, Massachusetts, and while they could not provide me with exactly where these objects came from - they did say that they were found in an estate in the Boston area. 

Interestingly, I suspect these pieces may have been found in their original context of ownership, considering they are both decorated with the same type of glaze and impressed on the base with the same circular mark, reading, "A.R. Cole Pottery Sanford N.C." And while I have no proof of it - I suspect these objects may have been originally sold in a store in Cambridge which was owned by Nancy Sweezy (1922-2010), who helped revive a resurgence of southern folk art in the twentieth century.

According to the Library of Congress, "Nancy Sweezy, author, folklorist, raised in Concord, New Hampshire, studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. During World War II, she worked overseas in the Research and Analysis Branch of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Her interest in craft began with pottery lessons in New England in the 1950s. She worked in partnership with Ralph Rinzler and helped manage Club 47 (now Club Passim) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she served as president of the board. She and Ralph, along with Norman Kennedy and others, formed Country Roads, Inc. in 1966 to support folk arts educational projects, research, and marketing. The group purchased the Jugtown Pottery in Seagrove, North Carolina, in 1968, and Sweezy moved to North Carolina to direct the operation and work with traditional potters in the area. In the 1980s in Boston, Nancy organized the Refugee Arts Group to encourage recent Southeast Asian and other immigrants to preserve and perpetuate craft, dance, and music traditions from their communities of origin. In the 1990s, Sweezy documented the traditional crafts of Armenia, making more than a dozen trips to the country. In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts presented Nancy Sweezy with the Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship. She was born October 14, 1921, in Flushing, New York, and died February 6, 2010, in Cambridge, Massachusetts."

Note: Information about the other objects is posted in the captions.

North Carolina Pottery Recently Found Throughout New England

20th Century Earthenware Roman Pitcher and Ewer

Impressed on the Base "A.R. Cole Pottery Sanford N.C."

Circa 1941-1970

Recently Found in Norwood, Mass.

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Another View of the Objects

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A View of the Handles

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A View of the Impressed Bases

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20th Century Earthenware Vase Made in North Carolina

Recently Found in Limington, Maine

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A View of the Interior

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A View of the Base

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20th century Earthenware Pitcher Made in North Carolina

Recently Found in Cambridge, Mass.

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A View of the Handle

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A View of the Base

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Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

Two Nineteenth Century Jars Made at the John Bell Pottery in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

These are two nineteenth century red decorated with the same yellow glaze and retaining their original lids that were made at the John Bell (1800-1880) Pottery in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, circa 1850-1880. Both are impressed “JOHN BELL.” 

The jar shown to the right was recently found in an estate in Camden, Maine, while the other was found years ago in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, the jar shown to the left was likely never made with a pottery lid, and instead it would have had a tin lid such as this example.

Nevertheless, I had wondered if this was a version of Bell's celedon glazed stoneware, although I cannot tell for sure what type of clay that these jars are made from, seeing that there is no glaze exposed. But one of the jars retains remains of stilt marks to the base, whereas those remains are from red earthenware, which is why I suspect that these jars are made from the same clay.

Celadon-glazed stoneware was first developed by potters in ancient China, and this was likely Bell's source of inspiration for his celadon glaze. Chinese pottery forms and glazes inspired many American potters in the nineteenth and twentieth century.

For more information -- see an article I wrote for Antiques & Auction News in 2018, titled, The Bell Pottery Collection At The Renfrew Museum In Waynesboro, Pa.

Two Nineteenth Century Jars Made at the John Bell Pottery in Waynesboro, PA

My Dog Jack with the Jars

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19th Century Jars Made at the John Bell Pottery in Waynesboro, PA

Each Jar is Impressed "JOHN BELL"

Circa 1850-1880

Both Jars also Appear to Retain Their Original Lids

The Jar Shown to the Left was Found Years Ago in Pennsylvania

The Jar Shown to the Right was Recently Found in an Estate in Camden, Maine

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A View of the Lids

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A View of the Jars Without Their Lids

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A View of the John Bell Mark

The Mark Has Been Partially Infilled with Glaze

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A View of the Other John Bell Mark

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Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A 19th Century Rockingham Glazed Shaving Cup from Baltimore with an Inscription on the Base

I found this earlier this week in northern New England: A rare nineteenth century Rockingham glazed shaving cup made at the E. & W. Bennett Pottery in Baltimore, circa 1850s. These types of mugs that are known today are typically either unmarked or impressed on the base "E. & W. BENNETT, / CANTON AVENUE / BALTIMORE Md."

Interestingly, there is a faint inscription that was somehow applied in the glaze on the base of this object that is very similar to an inscription on a black glazed teapot in the inventory of Pennsylvania antiques dealer Greg Kramer, which some have previously speculated that it may have also been made in Baltimore. 

Edwin Bennett (March 6, 1818 – June 13, 1908) was born in Newhall, Derbyshire in England. Furthermore, he was an English American pioneer of the pottery industry and art in the United States, and founder of the Edwin Bennett Pottery Company in Baltimore. He produced a variety of wares from the everyday to the fine and artistic at his company, which was originally founded in the 1840s as the Edwin Bennett Queensware Manufactory, and continued in operation until it was forced to close during the Great Depression in 1936.

Nonetheless, shaving cups identical to this one can be found displayed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, among other museums. 

A 19th Century Rockingham Glazed Shaving Cup from Baltimore 

My Dog Jack with the Shaving Cup Moments After We Found It

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19th Century Rockingham Glazed Shaving Cup

Attributed to the E. & W. Bennett Pottery in Baltimore

Circa 1850s

Stands 4 3/8" Tall

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Another View of the Shaving Cup

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A View of the Handle

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A View of the Interior

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A View of the Inscription on the Base

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19th Century American Made Black Glazed Teapot

Some Have Speculated that it May Have Been Made in Baltimore

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Photo Courtesy: Greg Kramer

A View of the Handle

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Photo Courtesy: Greg Kramer

A View of the Inscription on the Base

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Photo Courtesy: Greg Kramer

A Closer View of the Inscription on the Base

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Photo Courtesy: Greg Kramer

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...