Some good examples of nineteenth century red earthenware and stoneware from Virginia and Tennessee sold yesterday at Case Antiques in Knoxville, Tennessee. My favorite object was a nineteenth century double-handled red earthenware jar with brush strokes of black, which is a style of production often associated with the Cain Pottery in northeast Tennessee, circa 1820-1850 or so. These types of jars can also be found in the collection of the Art Museums at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia (jar 1 and jar 2) and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Interestingly, though, a somewhat similar shape of jar was also produced by the Buck family in Wythe County, Virginia in the 1800s, although it is unclear to me if there is any connection or if it was merely just a regional influence. But there is also some red earthenware that overlaps production in both northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia (also sometimes known as Great Road pottery). Furthermore, this jar may have also been made Washington County, Virginia.
Nonetheless, born in 1782 of German heritage in North Carolina, Leonard Cain (1782-1842) started the Cain Pottery in Blountville, Tennessee (Sullivan County). It is believed that he had migrated from the Valley of Virginia before establishing this business. Sullivan County deed records place him in the area no later than 1814.
Leonard's sons, Abraham B. Cain and William Cain were also potters - and, William Cain's son, Martin Cain continued the pottery until the early 1900s. Martin represented the last of the Cain dynasty. The Wolford and Henshaw families were married to members of the Cain family, and they also assisted in the pottery operation.
In 1850, the census records actually noted Abraham’s occupation as “potter.” William, like so many potters, called himself a “farmer,” possibly considering their family pottery business a sideline occupation. Their brother, Eli, lived in Wythe County and he also acknowledged his occupation as “potter.”
Although, the Cain Pottery was in operation for more than 75 years, the pottery forms changed little, if any, over this period. Indeed, once the dangers became well known about lead glazes, many potters converted to stoneware production. However, it appears that the Cains were producing red earthenware forms until at least 1897 (latest dated piece).
Furthermore, this jar sold yesterday for $15,000 plus the buyer's premium, whereas I want to note that this type of flat rim is also found with some potters who worked in Western New York in the 1800s, a type of rim that seems to be rather unusual to find today when compared to the totality of American red earthenware production in the nineteenth century.
The sale also included a nineteenth century red earthenware jug attributed to the Cain Pottery that appears to be the same jug that is illustrated on page 251 in Figure 2-98 in the book, Tennessee Potteries, Pots and Potters - 1790s to 1850 Volume 1. This jug sold for $800 plus the buyer's premium.
For the rest of the pottery in the sale - here is a link to the auction catalog: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/313040_winter-fine-art-and-antique-auction-day-1/.
Note: The shape of this jug is also reminiscent to a nineteenth century red earthenware jug that I own from Virginia, which was published in a feature story that I wrote for the July 2, 2021 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Story of Andrew Pitman: A Revolutionary War Veteran Turned Potter in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2021/06/most-recent-published-story-andrew.html.
Good Examples of 19th Century Great Road Pottery
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