After I wrote my most recent article published in the July 8th issue of Antiques & the Arts Weekly, titled, Rare Red Earthenware Urn Discovered at Newburyport Estate Auction, which included the history of a Chinese-blue pottery bowl attributed to North Carolina, I gained a great amount of appreciation for the art pottery made in North Carolina in the early-to-mid 1900s. And coincidentally, I found two pieces yesterday that were very cheaply priced at Todd's Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Massachusetts; one of those pieces is an incredibly glazed earthenware basket that I know was made in North Carolina.
Interestingly, some of the early glazes manufactured in Jugtown in North Carolina in the 1920s and 1930s were inspired from ancient Asian ceramics displayed at libraries and museums in New York City, especially at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where some the wares were also sold in a pottery shop in Manhattan in the 1920s. The inspiration was found with wares produced in China during the Han, Tang and Sung dynasties, as well as ancient ceramics from Persia and Korea. In fact, the streaking green glaze that adorns this earthenware basket was most likely inspired by ancient Chinese pottery, such as a number of green glazed vases found in museums that were made during the Han Dynasty.
But while I am not positive of it, seeing that there were a number of pottery baskets manufactured by various potters in North Carolina in the 1900s, including one that I found in Central Pennsylvania in 2019, I thought this basket may have been made by Arthur Ray Cole (1892-1974) in Sanford, North Carolina in the 1930s or 1940s. Based on information I found online, such as the way the base was manufactured, the overall shape of the basket and the crimped rim are the characteristics that led me to this possible conclusion. But of course, I would be more than happy to hear what other people think!
The handled green glazed red earthenware vase may have also been made in North Carolina, although I am not positive when it was made or who the potter may have been. The form of this vase also appears to be Chinese inspired. However this vase may have been made elsewhere, seeing that Chinese inspired pottery was also produced at Thomas Nickerson's circa 1897-1908 Merrimac Pottery Company in Newburyport, Massachusetts, as well as the circa 1876-1945 Moses Paige (1847/48-141) Pottery in Peabody, Massachusetts. Both of these locations are located a short distance from the flea market, whereas, a variety of the ancient style vases produced in Peabody can be seen in a photograph showing one of the company's potters John Donovan, who exhibited this type of production at Peabody's City Hall around 1920. Nonetheless, more research is needed for this piece!
For more information about the art pottery made in North Carolina - I recommend any of the books written by North Carolina author Stephen Compton, as well as a 149-page thesis written by Mary Jean Crawford for the University of North Carolina in 1962, titled, Jugtown Pottery: History and Design.
Two Pieces of Pottery Found Yesterday at a New England Flea Market
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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