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
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