This eighteenth or early nineteenth century slip decorated red earthenware dish is an object that I have always admired that I just acquired yesterday, which had been owned for many years by Sheffield, Massachusetts antiques dealer Sam Herrup. In fact, it very well may date to the 1700s, and perhaps as early as the 1760s or 1770s, but I feel more comfortable saying it is from the 1780-1820 period.
And while many of the slipware plates and platters that exist today were manufactured with a mold, this dish is actually hand-thrown on a potter's wheel, likely indicating an early manufacture date in coastal Massachusetts.
This dish is also illustrated in my new forthcoming book from Historic Beverly in Massachusetts, titled, A Celebrated Industry: The Historic Wares of Southeastern Massachusetts, Bristol County and Cape Cod; however, the feeling is that it may have been made in Bristol County, but a safer attribution is to say that it was produced in southeastern Massachusetts, seeing that it covers a wider landscape. The reason for this is because this type of slipware was produced by a group of potteries in the 1700s and early 1800s, including those that existed in Bristol County, but also in Abington, Massachusetts, Braintree, Massachusetts, Kingston, Massachusetts and possibly other locations, as well.
Nonetheless, aside from the historic value of this piece, I also find the aesthetic appeal to be equally as impressive, where the potter applied the slip and black glaze in a symmetric style, creating a pleasing affect in how this dish is decorated, utilizing all of the space. And for what it matters, this is the only surviving dish that I know about today that appears this way in a museum of private collection.
A Wonderful Hand-Thrown Slipware Dish Attributed to Southeastern Massachusetts
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
No comments:
Post a Comment