EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: Two Rare Examples of Red Earthenware Made at the Paige Pottery Peabody, Mass. Recently Discovered in Central Maine and Southern Connecticut

Sunday, November 6, 2022

Two Rare Examples of Red Earthenware Made at the Paige Pottery Peabody, Mass. Recently Discovered in Central Maine and Southern Connecticut

Shown below is a rare example of commemorative pottery that was recently found in an estate in central Maine, which was most likely made by John Donovan at the Moses Paige Pottery in Peabody, Massachusetts. The front of this small multi-color glazed red earthenware pitcher is impressed, “Peabody Pottery / Established / 1736.”

In fact, this was possibly a souvenir that was handed out to some visitors at the pottery, although the only glazed pieces that I have seen like this were originally owned by Massachusetts author Lura Woodside Watkins (1897-1982) and M.I.T. Professor Fredrick Norton (1896-1986), who I actually wrote a research article about for the August 9, 2019 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Career, Research And Collection Of Frederick H. Norton.

Interestingly though, there are only a few objects known bearing this mark today, most of which are owned by the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Nevertheless, while out and about this summer in New York and Connecticut with my niece Alexis, we stumbled across an early twentieth century slip decorated red earthenware vase that appeared to be related to an object made at the Paige Pottery in Peabody, circa 1900-1930 that is owned by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. But I have been hesitant to post this object because I was not positive it was made in Peabody. However, I am fairly confident now to say that it was probably made by John Donovan at the Paige Pottery thanks to recent Paige Pottery discoveries, as well as objects that I have studied in various museum collections.

Furthermore, my niece and I actually discovered the remains of this type of slipware at the site of the Paige Pottery about six years ago when there was an active construction site. We explained to the Peabody Police who were working detail at the site that this should have been inspected beforehand, although we ended up recovering a large amount of archaeological evidence that day which later served as the foundation for an article that I wrote for the November 2017 issue of the New England Antiques Journal, titled, Digging into the Peabody Potters: Archaeology and red earthenware, and later my second book, The Moses B. Paige Company: The Last of the Peabody Potteries.

Two Rare Examples of Red Earthenware Made at the Paige Pottery Peabody, Mass.