Japanese-Style Stoneware Jar From Jugtown with a Frogskin Glaze Recently Found Near Albany, New York

In our continued search to find early examples of twentieth century North Carolina art pottery in the American northeast, some of which was originally shipped to retailers in either Manhattan or Cambridge, Massachusetts, we just acquired this excellent twentieth century stoneware jar with four handles. The jar was recently discovered by Massachusetts antiques dealer Sam Herrup in the Albany, New York area.

According to Stephen Compton, "This shape is known among Jugtown collectors as a "Grueby jar." The form is derived from a Japanese Edo-period jar sketched by Jacques Busbee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art."

Furthermore, the salt-glazed stoneware jar is decorated in a frogskin green glaze and impressed on the base "JUGTOWN WARE."

Extensive research was done by Jacques Busbee (1870-1947), the original owner of the Jugtown Pottery in Seagrove, Moore County North Carolina, who created many of the glaze colors for the business. In fact, many of the glaze colors were created after ancient pottery displayed at museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

For example, pots decorated in a frogskin glaze are coated with the same glaze as seen in the pottery’s Teadust glaze, only frogskin is fired in the third or fourth chamber of the wood kiln, where salt was added at the very end of a firing. The sodium in the salt reacts the way bleach works on clothing—it bleaches the iron-rich glaze and creates an olive green to mustard colored finish, with a glossy surface. 

Historically, many of the potters in the Seagrove area became aware of a natural clay from Albany, New York (known as Albany slip) that could be used as a glaze. They began to use this natural clay as a glaze, throwing salt into the kiln at the very end of a firing in order to get the aptly named “frogskin” green-to-mustard color and glossy surface.

Note: An article I wrote about some of our best North Carolina discoveries over the last year in New England will be published in a forthcoming issue of Antiques & Auction News.

Japanese-Style Stoneware Jar From Jugtown with a Frogskin Glaze

20th Century Japanese-Style Stoneware Jar From Jugtown with a Frogskin Glaze

Recently Found Near Albany, New York

Marked on the Base "JUGTOWN WARE"

Stands 7 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

A View of the Base

Marked on Base "JUGTOWN WARE"

Pleas Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...