New Published Cover Story - The Vickers Family Of Pennsylvania: Abolitionists, Farmers And Quaker Potters

My latest cover story was just published in the September 2, 2022 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Vickers Family Of Pennsylvania: Abolitionists, Farmers And Quaker Potters - A Short Examination Into A Unique American Ceramics Story.

Link to story online: https://antiquesandauctionnews.net/articles/The-Vickers-Family-Of-Pennsylvania%3A-Abolitionists%2C-Farmers-And-Quaker-Potters/

Note: I have also posted two outstanding nineteenth century sgraffito decorated and slip decorated red earthenware flowerpots attributed to the Vickers family in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

New Published Cover Story - The Vickers Family Of Pennsylvania: Abolitionists, Farmers And Quaker Potters - A Short Examination Into A Unique American Ceramics Story

New Published Cover Story - The Vickers Family Of Pennsylvania: Abolitionists, Farmers And Quaker Potters - A Short Examination Into A Unique American Ceramics Story

Published in the Current September 2, 2022 Issue of Antiques & Auction News

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New Published Cover Story - The Vickers Family Of Pennsylvania: Abolitionists, Farmers And Quaker Potters - A Short Examination Into A Unique American Ceramics Story

Published in the Current September 2, 2022 Issue of Antiques & Auction News

See Article for More Information

19th Century Sgraffito Decorated Presentation Red Earthenware Flowerpot

Attributed to the Vickers Family in Chester County, PA

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Photo Courtesy: Randy Bohn

19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Flowerpot

Attributed to the Vickers Family in Chester County, PA

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Photo Courtesy: Randy Bohn

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

A Pair of Grecian Form Vases Attributed to Chelsea, Mass. Found Last Weekend in Vermont

While visiting Vermont last weekend, I came across a couple of unexpected finds - these two nineteenth century red bisque fired Grecian form vases are unmarked, although both are attributed to the Chelsea Keramic Art Works in Chelsea, Massachusetts, circa 1875-1879 or so. 

Interestingly, the Chelsea Keramic Art Works was the first American ceramics company to designate itself exclusively as an "art pottery," and an early specialty of the firm was the reproduction of Ancient Greek pottery. And even though the roulette decoration on the right vase is rather simple when compared to some of the more elaborate examples from Chelsea displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among other major art museums, it may have been designed by George Fenety (1850-1933), a Canadian-born artist who settled in Boston around 1871, and was employed as an engraver and a carver at the Chelsea Keramic Arts Works in the late 1870s. 

In fact, the business in Chelsea was only the second American pottery manufacturer to produce Grecian Revival pottery; the first being Charles A. Lawrence’s company in Beverly, Massachusetts in the early 1870s. 

The painted pinecone decoration that adorns the vase shown to the right is not original to the pottery, however it was likely created by an early owner. Nevertheless, these types of Grecian red bisque fired objects from Chelsea are rather rare to find today outside of a museum or private collection.

Note: For more information about the Grecian wares made in Beverly, I suggest a book I wrote available online from Historic Beverly, titled, The Beverly Pottery: The Wares of Charles A. Lawrence.

Here is also a link to some of George Fenety's better known objects displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art --https://www.metmuseum.org/search-results?q=george+fenety.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston also displays two great Grecian objects made in Chelsea that were created by John Gardner Lowe: 

1) Vase: https://collections.mfa.org/objects/37510/vase?ctx=278a25df-375a-49e7-8210-1f95a5a5fcc5&idx=0

2) Ewer: https://collections.mfa.org/objects/312155/ewer-in-the-grecian-style?ctx=c8e65963-5a1f-4832-8a36-eab01298d74b&idx=22

A Pair of Grecian Formed Vases Attributed to Chelsea, Mass.

Two 19th Century Red Bisque Fired Grecian Form Vases

Attributed to the Chelsea Keramic Art Works in Chelsea, Mass.

Found Last Weekend in Vermont

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19th Century Red Bisque Fired Grecian Form Vase with Roulette Decoration

Attributed to the Chelsea Keramic Art Works in Chelsea, Mass.

Circa 1875-1879 Or So

Stands 6 3/4" Tall

The Painted Decoration is Not Original Although Possibly Created by an Early Owner

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A View of the Roulette Decoration Which is Highlighted in Gold Paint

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19th Century Red Bisque Fired Grecian Form Vase with Roulette Decoration

Attributed to the Chelsea Keramic Art Works in Chelsea, Mass.

Circa 1875-1879 Or So

Stands 7" Tall

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A View of the Base

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

New Published Story -- The Vickers Family Of Pennsylvania: Abolitionists, Farmers And Quaker Potters: A Short Examination Into A Unique American Ceramics Story

A feature/research story that I recently wrote was just published this past Friday on the cover of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Vickers Family Of Pennsylvania: Abolitionists, Farmers And Quaker Potters - A Short Examination Into A Unique American Ceramics Story. Here is a link to the online version of the story, whereas I will post the print version as soon as possible.

Link: https://antiquesandauctionnews.net/articles/The-Vickers-Family-Of-Pennsylvania%3A-Abolitionists%2C-Farmers-And-Quaker-Potters/

New Published Feature/Research Story

New Published Story: The Vickers Family Of Pennsylvania: Abolitionists, Farmers And Quaker Potters - A Short Examination Into A Unique American Ceramics Story

This is on the Cover of the Latest Issue of Antiques & Auction News

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

Two Green Glazed Red Earthenware Dishes Made in Massachusetts that were Deaccessioned by a Museum in Delaware in 2019

I was very surprised last week to see these two late eighteenth and/or early nineteenth century green glazed red earthenware dishes on eBay, although I was very happy to purchase them from Virginia antiques dealer Nathan Fisher. In fact, I had actually missed out on them earlier this summer when they sold in a group lot at Pook & Pook in Pennsylvania. I was told they had been deaccessioned by a museum in Delaware in 2019, and that is how they ended up in the auction.

These dishes were most likely made by the Bradford family in either Kingston, Massachusetts or in West Barnstable on Cape Cod, whereas a group of these from museum and private collections, as well as archaeological evidence are published in my latest book from Historic Beverly, titled, A Celebrated Industry: The Historic Wares of Southeastern Massachusetts, Bristol County and Cape Cod. But this type of production may have also taken place with the potters who worked in Bristol County, Massachusetts during the same period; however, it is known that a large number of these types of objects were made in Kingston.

Note: I want to mention that my books can also now be purchased from Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, among other retailers and bookstores located all over the country.

Two Green Glazed Red Earthenware Dishes Made in Massachusetts

My Dog Jack with the Two Green Glazed Red Earthenware Dishes

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Late 18th-Early 19th Century Green Glazed Red Earthenware Dish

Probably Made by the Bradford Family in Kingston, Mass. and on Cape Cod

The Potters in Bristol County, Mass. May Have Also Produced These Types of Wares

Deaccessioned by a Delaware Museum in 2019

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A View of the Back

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Deaccession Sticker from a Museum in Delaware

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Late 18th-Early 19th Century Green Glazed Red Earthenware Dish

Probably Made by the Bradford Family in Kingston, Mass. and on Cape Cod

The Potters in Bristol County, Mass. May Have Also Produced These Types of Wares

Deaccessioned by a Delaware Museum in 2019

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A View of the Back

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Deaccession Sticker from a Museum in Delaware

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

Two 19th Century Alkaline Glazed Southern Stoneware Jugs Found in New York City and Southeastern Massachusetts

These are two nineteenth century southern alkaline glazed stoneware jugs that I believe are related - the larger jug is marked with an inscribed number “2,” which most likely represents two gallons. And even though the smaller jug does not bear a number inscription, I believe it is most likely one gallon in capacity. The jugs were made with very similar rims, have very similar handles and are made from the same colored clay.

I found the larger jug a few years ago at a flea market in New York City, whereas the smaller jug was discovered more recently in Southeastern Massachusetts. Both jugs are covered in a runny alkaline glaze, which looks great in direct sunlight!

However, the place of manufacture for these jugs is currently unknown to me, but they are made from a reddish colored clay that is comparable to some stoneware made in places like Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina and perhaps other areas in the South. 

In fact, when I purchased the larger jug - the New York City flea market dealer told me that he had found it in the South and he thought it may have been made in Tennessee, although I have not found any comparable objects in museum collections, previous auction results or published in books that support a Tennessee attribution. 

Nonetheless -- does anyone reading this article have any ideas about a possible place of manufacture? As I have previously noted, these pictures were taken last week as the sun was setting along the Merrimack River in Newburyport, Massachusetts, although in better direct lighting the glaze runs are easy to see how much they cover each jug.

Two 19th Century Alkaline Glazed Southern Stoneware Jugs

Two Southern 19th Century Alkaline Glazed Stoneware Jugs

The 2 Gallon Jug Shown to the Left was Found a Few Years Ago in New York City

The Jug Shown to the Right was Recently Found in Southeastern Massachusetts

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Another View of the Jugs

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View of the Handles

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A View of the Reddish Colored Clay Seen on the Base

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A View of the Inscribed "2" on the Larger Jug

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

Two Nice Examples of American Art Pottery Discovered at a Massachusetts Flea Market

A few weeks ago, I brought home four pieces of North Carolina pottery and these two vases that I really like, which I found at Todd's Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Massachusetts. Although, it is unmarked, I attribute the green variegated glazed red earthenware vase to Thomas Nickerson's Merrimac Pottery Company in Newburyport, Massachusetts, circa 1897-1908. The vase may have originally had a paper label with the company name adhered to the bottom, but everything about it closely resembles objects that I have handled from the Merrimac Pottery, including the form, the refinement, the matte green glaze, the glazed base, how the glaze was ground down at the base and the lead glazed interior. I was told it was found in a house in Reading, Massachusetts. It just seems like a piece of Merrimac Pottery to me.

However, I am intrigued with the second twentieth century earthenware vase, which is also hand-thrown, and unquestionable to me made by a professional potter based on what I see on the interior. But it is the exterior decoration that intrigues me the most, seeing that it appears to have been produced in order to imitate vases made at the William Grueby Faience Company in South Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1894-1911. The floral and leaf decoration was cut-out on the exterior with the flowers highlighted in slip just like it would have been done in South Boston, whereas similar types of decoration were also produced at the Merrimac Pottery Company and at William Walley's business in West Sterling, Massachusetts, among other companies. The color of the white clay is also found in archaeological evidence recovered at the site of the Merrimac Pottery Company, as well as many other American manufacturers during this period.

But the wares made at the Grueby Pottery were quite competitive with spinoff somewhat copycat businesses, such as the Hampshire Pottery in Keene, New Hampshire creating related wares that were more affordable because they were molded and mass produced. And William Grueby knew this going as far as suing Thomas Nickerson in 1902 claiming that the green glazed wares Nickerson produced were a copyright infringement of his production, although Grueby lost the lawsuit, where the court ruled that no potter owned a monopoly on any type of glaze color. Nonetheless, I think this vase is somehow related to all of this made sometime in the early part of the 1900s.

Two Examples of American Art Pottery Discovered at a Massachusetts Flea Market

My Niece Alexis Holding the Two Vases

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Early 20th Century Red Earthenware Vase

Possibly Made at the Merrimac Pottery Company in Newburyport, Mass.

Reportedly Found in a House in Reading, Mass.

Stands 11 1/4" Tall

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Another View of the Vase

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A View of the Interior

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A View of the Base and the Ground Glaze

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20th Century American Earthenware Vase

Manufactured in the Style of William Grueby's Production in South Boston, Mass.

Stands 10" Tall

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Another View of the Vase

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\

View of the Interior

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Another View of the Interior

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View of the Base

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

An Article About North Carolina Pottery Published by the Charlotte Observer in 1934

I recently saw this shared on Facebook by North Carolina archaeologist and museum specialist January Costa, as well as by the King's Mountain, North Carolina Historical Museum -- and I thought it was something that would be great to post on this website! This is an article published in the Charlotte Observer on February 25, 1934, titled, Hand Pottery Is Old North Carolina Industry, where you can see the variety of the forms that were produced in North Carolina during this period.

An Article About North Carolina Pottery Published by the Charlotte Observer in 1934

Article Published by the Charlotte Observer on February 25, 1934

A Variety of the Forms Made in North Carolina are Illustrated

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Photo Courtesy: King's Mountain Historical Museum

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

An Outstanding Example of North Carolina Art Pottery Discovered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

I think this is a wonderful object! My niece Alexis and myself were walking through downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire last week to get lunch, and we unexpectedly spotted this incredible multi-colored glazed twentieth century earthenware pitcher in a collectible/vintage/antique type shop’s storefront window. The person who own’s the shop told us that a woman recently brought it into the store; he said she lives in an old house near the corner of Pleasant and Court Streets in Portsmouth, where she said it has sat on a mantle in her house for decades. The pitcher is marked on the base “A.R. Cole Pottery Sanford, N.C.” It stands about twelve inches tall.

Nonetheless, it is unclear how this object made its way to New England, although it is documented that in the 1960s that Nancy Sweezy (1921-2010) established the nonprofit organization "Country Roads" in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and among the projects that were included was a country store that was opened which sold pottery from Jugtown, the Meaders, the Coles, Bybee, and other southern potteries, as well as many Appalachian handcrafts (The Potter's Eye: Art and Tradition in North Carolina Pottery). It should also be noted that the Nancy Sweezy Collection is owned today by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Furthermore -- Arthur Ray (A. R.) Cole (1892-1974) operated his first pottery shop in 1926 in Steeds, North Carolina (near Seagrove), but in 1934 opened Rainbow Pottery in Sanford, North Carolina to be on the main North-South highway at the time, U.S. 1. In 1941, he began operating as A. R. Cole Pottery of Sanford. 

The Cole family is among the most prominent in North Carolina pottery history and among the pioneers of the North Carolina art pottery movement. A. R. Cole was the son of the potter Ruffin Cole and the nephew of potters Wrenn Cole and the well-known J. B. Cole. Following A. R. Cole's death in 1974, the pottery continued to operate under the control of his daughters Neolia and Celia, who were already established as highly skilled potters in their father's pottery at that time.

Note: A great floor vase standing eighteen inches tall, bearing the same company mark and decorated with a related type of glaze sold in August 2021 at Leland Little Auctions in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Related objects are also owned by the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove.

An Outstanding Example of North Carolina Art Pottery Discovered in Portsmouth, N.H.

My Niece Alexis Holding the Earthenware Pitcher that We Just Found in Portsmouth, N.H.

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Outstanding 20th Century Earthenware Vase Found in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

The Base is Marked "A.R. Cole Pottery Sanford, N.C."

Stands About 12" Tall

Possibly Circa 1940s

Retains a History of Ownership in Portsmouth

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Another View of the Pitcher

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View of the Handle

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View of the Interior

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View of the Base

The Base is Marked "A.R. Cole Pottery Sanford, N.C."

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

A Rare 19th Century Ancient Formed Red Earthenware Vase with Abbreviated Script from Beverly, Mass. Found in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Area

My niece Alexis and myself were quite surprised to find this small ancient style nineteenth century painted red earthenware vase with a glazed interior last week in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area. The vase was made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts, circa 1870s or thereabouts. Interestingly, the painted decoration includes some script on the front that appears like initials or an abbreviation of some sort, which probably has some local historical significance. A very rare find, nonetheless!

For more information about this type of production - see a book I wrote that was published in 2019 by Historic Beverly, titled, The Beverly Pottery: The Wares of Charles A. Lawrence.

Ancient Formed Red Earthenware Vase with Abbreviated Script from Beverly, Mass. 

My Niece Alexis Holding the Small Red Earthenware Vase

We Found the Vase Last Week in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Area

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19th Century Ancient Style Painted Red Earthenware Vase with a Glazed Interior

The Front is Inscribed with an Abbreviation in Script

Attributed to the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Circa 1870s or Thereabouts

Stands 3 1/2" Tall

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Another View of the Painted Vase

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Another View of the Painted Vase

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View of the Glazed Interior

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View of the Base

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

A 20th Century North Carolina Malachite Glazed Strawberry Planter Found Yesterday Near Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire

I have to admit - that it is fun looking for good North Carolina art pottery in New England, seeing that it is sometimes relatively inexpensive compared to its true value, as well as sometimes being left unidentified in this part of the country. I also think that the artware made in North Carolina during the circa 1920-1970 period (and especially the earliest pottery) is comparable to what was happening in other parts of the country in terms of art pottery production, whimsical sewer tile, post World War II studio pottery and even in places where red earthenware production was still happening like with the Stahl family in Pennsylvania. This is also a nice way to learn about the various types of North Carolina pottery made in the twentieth century.

Nonetheless, among the more desirable colors applied on art pottery and garden wares produced in North Carolina in the 1900s is a malachite glaze, which is a bright copper green glaze with a darkened texture, as well as other variations of the glaze. This type of North Carolina glaze was inspired from ancient Asian design, similar to the chrome red and Chinese blue glazes also produced in North Carolina in the 1900s.

Interestingly, we found this circa mid-twentieth century or so hand-thrown red earthenware strawberry planter yesterday with a malachite glaze just east of Lake Winnipesaukee in a small vintage/collectibe-type group shop in Rochester, New Hampshire. We decided to stop into the shop as we were on our way to hike Mount Major; to my knowledge, this is a rare North Carolina form to find today, especially in great condition. 

I believe this pot was made by a member of the Cole family working in Seagrove, North Carolina, circa 1940s-1950s. The pot is unmarked, although it closely resembles some pots attributed to the Cole family in form and glaze. 

In fact, there is an unmarked strawberry planter owned by the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove that is decorated with a different glaze, but very similar in form that is thought to have been made at the C.C. Cole Pottery during the 1940s or 1950s. I also suspect that this pot may have originally been purchased with a loose matching glazed underplate or saucer. 

Furthermore, strawberry planters were a popular form of production in America and Europe during the late-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century; they were produced at sewer tile factories, various ceramic companies, stoneware companies and even by red earthenware (and terra cotta) businesses. 

A 20th Century North Carolina Malachite Glazed Strawberry Planter

My Niece Alexis Holding the Red Earthenware Strawberry Planter

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20th Century Red Earthenware Strawberry Planter Decorated with a Malachite Glaze

Probably Made by a Member of the Cole Family in Seagrove, North Carolina

Probably Circa 1940s-1950s

Stands 9" Tall

Found Yesterday in Rochester, New Hampshire

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Another View of the Strawberry Planter

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A View of the Base

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

A Red Earthenware Bottle or Vase Recently Found at a Flea Market in Ohio Acquired Yesterday at Antiques Week in New Hampshire

Here is another very interesting find from yesterday at Antiques Week in New Hampshire, which I came across in my friend Matt Greig's booth at the antiques show in Deerfield, New Hampshire that he recently discovered at a flea market in Ohio. And while the initial reaction might be to say that the rim is damaged, it is the form that I am fascinated with which I believe was made in Western New York, although it also has an Ontario and New England look to it.

The reason that I am intrigued with this form is because it is possibly a bottle otherwise a vase with a flared rim - and the shape certainly appears like it is influenced by Asian production from the 1800s. 

Interestingly, the China Trade was prevalent all over the American East Coast during this period, even along the Erie Canal, extending from New York City up through western New York and Ontario. In theory, the form of this object may have been influenced by the China Trade and those types of wares that were being shipped to America, seeing that it is a form rarely found with utilitarian potters in the Northeast during the circa 1820-1860 period.

Note: There are some related forms known from early potters in New England and Pennsylvania, such as a vase without the flared rim made by Thomas Vickers in Chester County, Pennsylvania that recently sold in Crocker Farm's spring 2022 sale in Sparks, Maryland.

A Red Earthenware Bottle or Vase Recently Found at a Flea Market in Ohio

My Niece Alexis Holding the Red Earthenware Bottle or Vase

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19th Century Red Earthenware Bottle or Vase

Possibly Made in Western New York Circa 1820-1860

Recently Discovered at a Flea Market in Ohio

Stands 6 5/8 Tall (Although was Originally Taller Before the Damage)

Form May Have Been Inspired by Asian Design

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Another View of the Bottle or Vase

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A View of the Footed Base

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