Another feature story that I am currently working on for print publication is some religious red earthenware made by a specific potter in Ontario, Canada in the 1800s. Interestingly, not a lot of this type of production was produced in America in the nineteenth century, especially before 1860, whereas there is an example of a slip-script decorated red earthenware plate made by John Betts Gregory (1782-1842) in Clinton, New York, circa 1810-1829 that is adorned with religious script, as well as a variety of religious script decorated red earthenware plates and platters made at the Asa Edward Smith (1798-1880) Pottery in Norwalk, Connecticut, circa 1825-1850s or so. I actually posted about this type of production on this website earlier this week in search of some information for a lengthy feature story that I am working on: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/01/in-search-for-more-information.html.
The religious wares made at Smith's business are known to have been decorated with a variety of religious script, which included the names of Saints. Furthermore, a potter named Jacob Bock (1789-1867), who was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1789, although he migrated to Waterloo, Ontario, Canada to work as a potter, where he made some red earthenware tobacco jars surrounded with images of Saint Ambrose (ca. 340-397 AD).
There does not seem to be much for supporting evidence, but I am trying to learn if this was something Bock had previously produced in Pennsylvania or whether it was unique to his production in Ontario. There are a small group of these jars known to exist today in both American and Canadian private and museum collections, some of which are signed by Bock while he was working in Waterloo.
However, I think all of these stories and the religious wares that were produced are important to tell from Gregory to Day to Bock, seeing that all of this religious production is related. As a result, I am writing a three-part series about each of these potters and their religious wares. Here is a link to the first part of this series that was just published in the January 12, 2024 issue of Antiques And The Arts Weekly, titled, Two Important New York Slip-Script Red Earthenware Plates: https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/two-important-new-york-slip-script-red-earthenware-plates/.
Nevertheless, posted below is a nineteenth century black glazed red earthenware rundlet that can probably easily be mistaken for American production, but this object is inscribed "1827 Waterloo," and was made by Bock in Canada. It is owned today by the Joseph Schneider Haus House Museum in Kitchener, Ontario.
19th C. Rundlet Made by Jacob Bock in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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