A Red Earthenware Pitcher from South Danvers (Peabody), Massachusetts Found Yesterday in Boston

This was definitely not something that I was expecting to see yesterday in Boston, whereas this is arguably among the most dramatically glazed red earthenware pitchers that I have ever seen from South Danvers (Peabody), Massachusetts. The pitchers that I have seen in the past are typically sporadically decorated with manganese, and some are also glazed a dark green or olive color, however this pitcher is completely covered in a dripping black with some yellow around the entire surface, including beneath the handle. 

I also suspect that this object may very well date from the 1700s, seeing that this exact type of pitcher has been recovered by archaeologists from circa 1770s contexts in neighboring Salem, Massachusetts, such as an artifact that I posted below, which was recovered from a circa 1770 privy at the Narbonne House near Salem's waterfront. 

Furthermore, I have always suspected that these types of pitchers were made by the Osborn family in South Danvers/Peabody, although there were so many businesses in South Danvers during this period that it is tough to be specific and accurate outside of attributing this pitcher to the location.

Note: For more information about pottery production in South Danvers, see a feature story that I wrote for the November 2017 issue of the New England Antiques Journal, titled, Digging Into the Peabody Potteries: Archaeology and Red Earthenware; also see the second installment in my pottery book series published by Historic Beverly in Massachusetts, titled, The Moses B. Paige Company: The Last of the Peabody Potteries: https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-moses-b-paige-company-the-last-of-the-peabody-potteries/.

Red Earthenware Pitcher from South Danvers (Peabody), Mass.

Possibly 18th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher with a Lid

Attributed to South Danvers, Mass.

Possibly Circa 1770s-1790s

Stands 7 7/8" Tall

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Another View of the Pitcher

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Another View of the Pitcher

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A View of the Lid

The Lid Appears to Have Been Made in Essex County, Mass.

Possibly Made in South Danvers, Mass.

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18th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Attributed to Peabody, Mass.

Recovered from a Circa 1770 Archaeological Context in Salem, Mass.

The Form is Related to the Other Pitcher Shown in this Post

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: National Park Service - Narbonne House

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

A Red Earthenware Vase Covered in Slip Found in a Basement in Uxbridge, Massachusetts

While recently visiting central Massachusetts, I learned about this early twentieth century red earthenware vase that is entirely covered in slip, which was found in a basement in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. A first impression may suggest that this object looks like vases made in North Carolina or by the Stahl family in Pennsylvania in the 1900s, however this type of vase is also documented in photographic evidence owned by the Peabody, Massachusetts Historical Society, as having been made at the Moses Paige Pottery in Peabody, circa 1890s-1930s. 

Furthermore, my niece Alexis and myself recovered a number of red earthenware sherds entirely covered in this color of slip a few years ago at the site of the Paige Pottery when the senior center that now owns the land was widening its existing parking lot. This evidence was later published in a feature story that I wrote for the November 2017 issue of the New England Antiques Journal, titled, Digging Into the Peabody Potteries: Archaeology and Red Earthenware. This was also the last issue of the print form of this publication, which included some great colonial red earthenware archaeology from Philadelphia as the cover story.

The production of this vase is also similar to an early twentieth century red earthenware teacup and saucer that appear like objects made in the 1700s, which I posted to my Instagram account earlier this week; those pieces were made at the Paige Pottery, and most likely acquired the same year that they were made in 1912 by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

For more information about the Paige Pottery - see the second installment in my pottery book series published by Historic Beverly in Massachusetts, titled, The Moses B. Paige Company: The Last of the Peabody Potteries: https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-moses-b-paige-company-the-last-of-the-peabody-potteries/.

Note: Here is also a link to a story I recently posted to this website that shows some late nineteenth century documents from the M.B. Paige Pottery that were recently discovered in the Mid-Atlantic region: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2023/11/a-small-collection-of-paige-pottery.html.

Vase Covered in Slip Found in a Basement in Uxbridge, Mass.

My Niece Alexis Holding the Vase

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Red Earthenware Vase Covered in Slip Found in a Basement in Uxbridge, Mass.

Probably Made at the Moses Paige Pottery in Peabody, Mass.

Probably Circa 1890s-1930s

Stands 4 1/4" Tall

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Another View of the Vase

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Another View of the Vase

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A View of the Base

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

A Good Marked 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar from Western New York Found in Connecticut

On our way to New York City over the weekend, my niece Alexis and myself stopped at some of the antique and collectible type group shops in Connecticut that were not far from the highway in the direction that we were driving. Our best find was this excellent glazed circa 1830s-1840s red earthenware jar from Western New York, whereas the jar is marked “A. Wilcox / West Bloomfield.” 

Interestingly, the style of glaze that adorns this jar is well-represented in the Wilcox Pottery archaeology owned by the Rochester Museum & Science Center in Rochester, New York (see below for some examples), which was also the site of the Griffin Wheeler and the Alvin Hurlbert potteries, which preceded and followed Wilcox's business. Furthermore, this glaze is probably one of the more desirable vibrant glaze styles that was produced by Wilcox, seeing that it is a combination of yellow, cream and cranberry, along with some veining in the glaze.

According to an archaeology report written in 1971 by archaeologists, Daniel M. Barber and George R. Hammel for the Society of Historical Archaeology, titled, The Redware Pottery Factory of Alvin Wilcox at Mid-19th Century: "Alvin Wilcox (1801-1862) was born in Ontario County, New York in 1801, the son of Ezra and Lovisa Wilcox. His father, Ezra, originally from Massachusetts, had been a resident of the county for at least three years previously, and is considered to be among the earliest settlers of the town of Bloomfield, Ontario County, New York.

Alvin Wilcox lived his entire life in the small village of West Bloomfield, New York. His home and business were located a little west of the town on the south side of the "State Road" (present day Routes 5 and 20). 

Alvin Wilcox was not the first, nor was he the only potter to have worked in the area. In 1793 William Berczy, a resident of a small community just south of Genesea, New York, mentions purchasing earthenware from a potter in the general Bloomfield area.  Berczy did not mention this potter by name, but there is some tentative archaeological evidence which suggests a connection between this unknown potter and the Alvin Wilcox Pottery site. 

The last twelve years of Wilcox's life have been fairly well documented. There not only exists the usual census, probate records, etc., but also well over 30 of his letters which were published in Moore's Rural New-Yorker in the 1850s (which was founded in Rochester, New York in 1850).

From these letters Alvin Wilcox emerges not as a simple, country potter, but as an intelligent farmer, businessman, and a keen observer of nature. The letters deal mainly with contemporary farming practices, but do reveal a little information about his life prior to 1850."

Additionally, all of the pictures shown in this post will be published in my forthcoming 800-900 page Western New York book, due out sometime in 2024.

Marked 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar from Western New York

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar from Western New York

The Jar is Stamped “A. Wilcox / West Bloomfield” 

Found a Few Days Ago in Connecticut 

Circa 1830s-1840s

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information 

Another View of the Jar

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A View of the Mark

The Jar is Stamped “A. Wilcox / West Bloomfield”

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The Site of the Alvin Wilcox Pottery in West Bloomfield, New York

This Picture Will be Published in My W. New York

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The Site of the Alvin Wilcox Pottery in West Bloomfield, New York

This Picture Will be Published in My W. New York

See Article for More Information 

The Site of the Alvin Wilcox Pottery in West Bloomfield, New York

The Current Property Owner is to the Left

Victor, New York Dealer and Collector Gene Pratt is to the Right

This Picture Will be Published in My W. New York

See Article for More Information 

The Site of the Alvin Wilcox Pottery in West Bloomfield, New York

This Picture Will be Published in My W. New York

See Article for More Information

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug with a Similar Glaze as the Jar Shown Above

Recovered at the Site of the Alvin Wilcox Pottery in West Bloomfield, N.Y.

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Rochester Museum & Science Center

19th Century Red Earthenware Dish with a Similar Glaze as the Jar Shown Above

Recovered at the Site of the Alvin Wilcox Pottery in West Bloomfield, N.Y.

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Rochester Museum & Science Center

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

A Turquoise Glazed Red Earthenware Bowl from Sanford, North Carolina Found at the Chelsea Flea Market in Manhattan

My niece Alexis and myself were in New York City over the weekend in order to check out the new Balloon Museum at Pier 36 in Manhattan, although on Saturday afternoon we stopped at the iconic Chelsea Flea Market, also in Manhattan, where we found a large turquoise glazed red earthenware bowl marked on the back with a circular stamp that reads, “A.R. Cole Pottery Sanford, N.C.,” probably circa 1940s-1950s. It was mixed in with some smaller red earthenware objects that were also made in North Carolina in the 1900s.

Interestingly, there are related glazed pieces kept in the permanent collection of the North Carolina Pottery Center, but they do not own this exact type of glazed bowl, whereas the glaze on this object is great!  In fact, one of the museum's objects is somewhat similar to this bowl, although it is larger, unmarked and attributed to Waymon Cole in Moore County, North Carolina, circa 1940.

Furthermore, we do not know the history of this object, but I suspect it was found somewhere in the area, seeing that this type of pottery from North Carolina was known to have been shipped to the Northeast from the 1920s to about 1970. 

Red Earthenware Bowl Found at the Chelsea Flea Market in Manhattan

20th Century Turquoise Glazed Red Earthenware Bowl

Found at the Chelsea Flea Market in Manhattan

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

Measures 10 1/2" in Diameter

Stands 3 3/4" Tall

See Above for More Information

A View of the Base

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

See Above for More Information

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

An Outstanding Stereoview Card of the Keene Stone & Earthen Ware Manufactory in New Hampshire

This is a very good late nineteenth century stereoview card that I just acquired that was previously owned by a historical society in New England, which deaccessioned some of their photographic collection. In fact, until I saw this particular card, I had not seen this image before, which will be published in my forthcoming 603-page New Hampshire book, titled, An Influential Family of Potters: The Clarks of New Hampshire and Related Businesses. 

This card was published by J.A. French of Keene, New Hampshire, as part of a collection of images of landmarks in Keene in the 1870s, although this particular view is outstanding, seeing that it depicts the Keene Stone & Earthen Ware Manufactory, possibly in the 1870s. Has anyone reading this post seen this image before? 

Stereoview Card of the Keene Stone & Earthen Ware Manufactory

Late 19th Century Stereoview Card of the Keene Stone & Earthen Ware Manufactory

Published by J.A. French of Keene, New Hampshire

Possibly from the 1870s

See Above for More Information

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

A Small Collection of Paige Pottery Paperwork from Peabody, Mass. Recently Found in the Mid-Atlantic Region

Some good examples of rarely seen ephemera from the Moses B. Paige Pottery in Peabody, Massachusetts recently appeared in the Mid-Atlantic region, whereas each document is dated "1898." In fact, this is probably the first instance where I have seen this time of paperwork from this company outside of a collection of documents owned by the Peabody Historical Society.

For a brief history: The Paige Pottery was a continuation of previous businesses that operated at the site of this pottery company in South Danvers/Peabody, dating all the way back to the 1730s. The Osborn family established the business, which continuously produced red earthenware at this location for more than 100 years, although the business was eventually sold in the 1850s to Joseph Reed.

The potters who worked for Reed included Charles A. Lawrence, who eventually relocated to neighboring Beverly, Massachusetts, where he established his own company. Interestingly, the C.A. Lawrence Pottery is actually the subject of the first installment of my pottery book series, published by Historic Beverly, titled, The Beverly Pottery: The Wares of Charles A. Lawrence -- https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-beverly-pottery-the-wares-of-charles-a-lawrence/.

Furthermore, Paige also worked for Reed, alongside Lawrence and other potters; Paige had relocated from Maine to Peabody in the 1860s, eventually acquiring the Reed Pottery in 1876. For more information about the Paige Pottery - see the second installment in my pottery book series, titled, The Moses B. Paige Company: The Last of the Peabody Potteries -- https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-moses-b-paige-company-the-last-of-the-peabody-potteries/.

Note: For an example of red earthenware made at the site of this business around 1800, see a post on my Instagram account from today, where I just shared a jug that is owned by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, which probably retains its original context of family ownership in Salem.

Small Collection of Paige Pottery Paperwork from Peabody, Mass.

Late 19th Century Paperwork from the M.B. Paige Pottery in Peabody, Mass.

Dated May 27, 1898

Recently Found in the Mid-Atlantic Region

See Above for More Information

Late 19th Century Paperwork from the M.B. Paige Pottery in Peabody, Mass.

Dated June 9, 1898

Recently Found in the Mid-Atlantic Region

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Late 19th Century Paperwork from the M.B. Paige Pottery in Peabody, Mass.

Dated November 5, 1898

Recently Found in the Mid-Atlantic Region

See Above for More Information

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

A Very Good Large 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar that Recently Surfaced in Western New Hampshire

This nineteenth century red earthenware jar has a surprising story! So a few weeks ago, a jar that looked like this jar sold in a country auction that I saw online in Western New Hampshire. Although the jar did not look like much based on what I saw in the photos; however, Warren, Massachusetts potter Rick Hamelin generously sent me pictures of what looked like the same jar earlier this week in a group shop located along the Vermont and New Hampshire border. I decided to take a ride out there a few days ago to see the jar, and it turned out to be the same jar that was in the auction. And for some reason, the jar was priced at a lower price than it sold for in the auction, although I am not sure how that happened.

Nevertheless, I picked the jar up in the shop and I could see that it was covered in grease, layers of filth and old red paint. It had to have been in a basement or a barn for many years. But I could not see any of this in the auction photos, other than it looked like a darker glaze with very little shine to it.

Furthermore, I spent a few hours a couple of nights ago cleaning the jar, and what I realized when I was done that I could not see beforehand is that this is most likely one of the largest jars that I have ever seen probably made by the Safford family in Monmouth, Maine, circa 1840s or so, standing nearly thirteen inches tall. 

The exterior glaze is also really nice, with a mixture of raspberry and green, whereas the interior glaze is all sorts of vibrant colors! The last photo that I posted shows the jar with the paint and everything else that it was covered with just after I purchased it.

Note: There are some very good examples of Safford pottery from Monmouth published in the latest installment of my pottery book series, published by Historic Beverly in Massachusetts, titled, From One Town Came Many: The Red Earthenware Industry of Ancient North Yarmouth, Maine, available from bookstores and retailers all over America and parts of Canada: https://historicbeverly.net/product/94597/.

Red Earthenware Jar that Recently Surfaced in Western New Hampshire

My Niece Alexis Holding the Red Earthenware Jar

See Post for More Information

19th Century Double-Handled Red Earthenware Jar 

Likely Made by the Safford Family in Monmouth, Maine

Recently Surfaced in Western New Hampshire

Probably Circa 1840s

Stands 12 3/4" Tall

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Another View of the Jar

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Another View of the Jar

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Another View of the Jar

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Another View of the Jar

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The Other Side of the Jar

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This is How the Jar Looked When I Got It

It was Covered in Dirt, Paint and Probably Stuff

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

19th Century Black Glazed Red Earthenware Teapot Sherds Recovered in Deep River, Connecticut

More than a decade ago, English mochaware scholar Jonathan Rickard, who authored the book Mocha and Related Dipped Wares: 1770-1939 shared these photos with me, whereas he believed the smaller teapot was manufactured at the Thomas Crafts Pottery in Whately, Massachusetts, circa 1821-1833, although he was uncertain about the larger pot, which may have also been made at the Crafts Pottery in Whately or another nineteenth century teapot manufacturer in the Northeast.

Interestingly, though, he also shared a group of black glazed red earthenware teapot sherds that were similar in production that he had recovered from from his yard in Connecticut. According to Jonathan, "The sherds are from a general yard scatter about six inches below the lawn in my backyard at the Nathan Southworth House, built in 1757 in Deep River, Connecticut. They were found in company with various ceramics that included shell-edged, transfer-printed Park Scenery, dipped ware rim sections, red earthenware with a coggle-edged and slip trailing, coarse red earthenware storage vessel fragments, etc."

For reference, Deep River is located directly along the southern tier of the Connecticut River so it is certainly feasible that wares made in Whately were shipped along this river, as were a wide range of other American and domestic objects made in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. 

Additionally, some of the archaeology collected at the site of the Crafts Pottery in Whately by author Lura Woodside Watkins (1897-1982) before 1950 is now owned by the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2017/11/19th-century-red-earthenware-teapot.html.

Note: For more information about red earthenware found in the Connecticut River Valley region, see my sixth book published by Historic Beverly in Massachusetts, titled, A City on the River: The Early Red Earthenware of the Hartford, Connecticut Area, available from bookstores and retailers in America, Canada and the U.K.: https://historicbeverly.net/product/a-city-on-the-river-the-early-red-earthenware-of-the-hartford-connecticut-area/

Red Earthenware Teapot Sherds Recovered in Deep River, CT

Two 19th Century Black Glazed Red Earthenware Teapots

The Smaller Teapot is Thought to Have Been Made in Whately, Mass.

The Larger Teapot was Mad Somewhere in the Northeast

See Above for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jonathan Rickard

Another View of the Teapots

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Photo Courtesy: Jonathan Rickard

19th Century Black Glazed Red Earthenware Teapot Sherds

Recovered on the Property of the Nathan Southworth House in Deep River, CT

See Above for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jonathan Rickard

19th Century Black Glazed Red Earthenware Teapot Sherds

Recovered on the Property of the Nathan Southworth House in Deep River, CT

See Above for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jonathan Rickard

19th Century Black Glazed Red Earthenware Teapot Sherds

Recovered on the Property of the Nathan Southworth House in Deep River, CT

See Above for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jonathan Rickard

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

A Comparison of Two 19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jars

It is often seen today how eighteenth and nineteenth century stoneware decorations from American potters migrated from one area to the next, or in other cases, the decorations were imitated. I think the classic example of this is with some of the stoneware that was manufactured in New York City during this period, and how similar incised, stamped and/or cobalt decorations can be found with some wares made in upstate New York, parts of Connecticut, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Virginia and even other potters located elsewhere in America. 

However, outside of slip-decorated red earthenware, this notion does not seem to have been a type of shared production that was as widespread with American red earthenware potters in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. In some ways, decorations and glaze techniques were sometimes regionally unique, although this was also not always the case. 

For example, while working on my forthcoming 800-900 page New York book, due out sometime next year, I happened to have learned about these two objects, both of which are privately owned today. To my knowledge, there is no connection between either potter who produced these jars, although they are both prominently decorated with similar designs. 

Both of these objects will be published together in the book just to show this interesting coincidence, however the jar shown on the top was made in Western New York after 1850, and it is stamped on the side "L. JOHNSON / NEWSTEAD," whereas the jar shown to the bottom is believed to have been made in the Hartford, Connecticut area, circa 1800-1830.

Note: For a related jar with a different style of decoration, see my sixth book published by Historic Beverly in Massachusetts, titled, A City on the River: The Early Red Earthenware of the Hartford, Connecticut Area, available from bookstores and retailers in America, Canada and the U.K.: https://historicbeverly.net/product/a-city-on-the-river-the-early-red-earthenware-of-the-hartford-connecticut-area/

A Comparison Two Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jars

(Top) 19th Century Red Earthenware Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

Made by Lorenzo Johnson in Western New York

Stamped on the side "L. JOHNSON / N EWSTEAD"

Made After 1850

(Bottom) 19th Century Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to the Hartford, Connecticut Area

Circa 1800-1830

Photos Courtesy: Private Collections

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

A 19th Century Earthenware Money Bank and an Earthenware Mug Made by Elizabeth D. Herr in Philadelphia in 1890

There is an object that has always intrigued me that is displayed today at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania, although it was published in a catalog in 1917, titled, Illustrated Catalogue of China, Pottery, Porcelains and Glass: The Collection of the Late Edwin Atlee Barber, A.M., Ph.D., Director of the Pennsylvania Museum, which was sold by S.T. Freeman & Company in Philadelphia on December 10 and 11, 1917.

On first look, this object may appear English in origin, however Barbar had a very specific attribution for it, whereas he may have confirmed this information directly from the business or potter, seeing that he was alive when this object was originally produced, and he could have also spoken to the person who made it. 

According to Figure 290 that is published on page 54 in the 1917 catalog, "This money bank is in the form of a miniature bureau, red earthenware covered with a brown and yellow marbled glaze. Made at the pottery of Elizabeth D. Herr, Philadelphia, late nineteenth century." 

Additionally, information about this bank in the form of a bureau was also published in a book written by Barber in 1893, titled, Pottery: Catalogue of American Potteries and Porcelains, where Barber specifically states that this object was made by Elizabeth D. Herr in Philadelphia in 1890, although the bank was acquired by the museum in 1892 from John T. Morris with an earthenware mug that he also said was made by Herr. But it was also indicated by potter Paul Bohanna that this bank is actually made out of agate (mixed clays to cause the multicolored effect), rather than red earthenware.

For reference, John Thompson Morris (1847-1915), the president of I.P. Morris and Company, an ironworks concern, was a decorative art collector and a founder of the Morris Arboretum & Gardens at the University of Pennsylvania.

Morris gifted his collection which he formed with his sister, Lydia T Morris (1849-1932), to the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art (now the Philadelphia Museum of Art), where he had served as a Trustee for twenty-three years and as Vice President of the museum’s corporation from 1897 to 1904.

His gift of 1,500 objects included modern European glassware and metalwork, American ceramics from the eighteenth and nineteenth century, twelfth to fifteenth century tiles, and Japanese sculpture and arms and armor from the Edo Period.

Furthermore, the information on file at the Philadelphia Museum of Art states that Herr was an active potter in the city during the circa 1875-1897 period, although I cannot find any published information about her. Is there anyone reading this who can share more about her career as a potter? Was she an employee or worker at the Haig Pottery?

Note: For more informant about the Thomas Haig Pottery earthenware bank shown below, see a story I wrote that was published on pages 2 and 8 in the October 20, 2023 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, A Look At 19th-Century Red Earthenware & Stoneware Buildings, Houses and Log Cabins -- http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2023/10/new-published-story-in-antiques-auction_26.html.

19th Century Money Bank and Mug Made by Elizabeth D. Herr

(Right) Late 19th Century Earthenware Money Bank in the Form of a Bureau

Reportedly Made by Elizabeth D. Herr in Philadelphia in 1890

Published by Edwin Atlee Barber with this Specific Information in 1893

Stands 6" Tall

(Left) 19th Century Earthenware Bank Made in Philadelphia

Made at the Thomas Haig Pottery

Circa 1850s

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Philadelphia Museum of Art

This is the Information that is Displayed About the Banks

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Philadelphia Museum of Art

(Left) Late 19th Century Earthenware Mug

Reportedly Made by Elizabeth D. Herr in Philadelphia

Circa 1875-1897

Stands 5 1/8" Tall

(Right) This is the Money Bank that is Shown Above

It is Made Out of Agate, Whereas Mixed Clays Cause the Colorful Effect

Reportedly Made by Elizabeth D. Herr in Philadelphia in 1890

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Philadelphia Museum of Art

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

Three Good Examples of Red Earthenware That Sold Yesterday in the Skinner Collection at Eldred's on Cape Cod

Aside from the remarkable and historically important circa 1828 stoneware jug from Athens, New York, which sold yesterday as part of the Bob and Nancy Skinner Collection (Skinner Auctions) at Eldred's Auction Gallery on Cape Cod in Dennis, Massachusetts, whereas that jug will eventually be making its way to Adam Weitsman's collection at the New York State Museum in Albany, New York, there was also some very good examples of red earthenware sold as part of the Skinner Collection.

I was actually the underbidder on a nineteenth century mottled green glazed red earthenware jar decorated with two colors of slip that had been converted into a lamp at some point in the twentieth century. Although, even though I have not seen this exact form before, I thought the jar was possibly from Western New York and perhaps made at one of the potteries operating in the Bloomfield, New York area before 1835. Furthermore, this jar will also be published in my forthcoming 800-900 page Western New York book, due out sometime in 2024.

Additionally, though, it was not seen all that well in the photos that were posted online, but this jar did have some glaze and slip loss, although a great object, nonetheless. The jar sold for $1,400 plus the buyer's premium.

Some of the other good red earthenware objects found in the sale were mixed in with group lots, whereas one lot included a very nice late eighteenth or nineteenth century red earthenware jug from Bristol County, Massachusetts. The shape of this jug is a classic form and it was decorated with a popular combination of glaze colors found with red earthenware objects made in Bristol County during this period. The lot sold for $4,000 plus the buyer's premium.

Another lot consisted entirely of miniature and small objects; those pieces included a really good small late eighteenth or nineteenth century red earthenware jug, however it was difficult to identify how the glaze actually appeared in-hand from the online photos. But I was really impressed with this object when I handled it during the auction preview earlier this week; the glaze turned out to be a bright mixture of a spotted green and yellow. I also suspect it was probably made in either coastal Massachusetts or southern/central New Hampshire, and it will be illustrated in my forthcoming 603-page New Hampshire book. Nevertheless, the lot sold for $2,600 plus the buyer's premium.

For more information about these lots and the sale in general, here is a link to the auction catalog: https://issuu.com/eldredsauction/docs/the_collection_of_bob_and_nancy_skinner.

Three Good Examples of Red Earthenware From the Skinner Collection

19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

Possibly Made in Western New York

Perhaps Made in the Bloomfield, New York Area

Will Be Illustrated in My Forthcoming WNY Book

Circa 1835 or Earlier

Stands 10" Tall

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Jar

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Another View of the Jar

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Another View of the Jar

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Another View of the Jar

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Another View of the Jar

See Article for More Information

Late 18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug

Attributed to the Industry in Bristol County, Mass.

Circa 1780-1830

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Jug

See Article for More Information

A View of the Handle

See Article for More Information

Small Late 18th or 19th Century Spotted Green and Yellow Glazed Red Earthenware Jug

Most Likely Made in Coastal Mass. or Southern/Central New Hampshire

Will Be Illustrated in My Forthcoming N.H. Book

Circa 1790-1830

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Another View of the Jug

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Another View of the Jug

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A View of the Handle

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