A Late 18th or 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug from Alamance County, North Carolina that Sold Yesterday at Ledbetter Folk Art Auctions in North Carolina

This late eighteenth or nineteenth century red earthenware jug reportedly made by either the Albright or Loy Family in Alamance County, North Carolina sold yesterday at Ledbetter Folk Art Auctions in Gibsonville, North Carolina. The jug was recently found in an estate in Alamance County.

According to an article written by Luke Beckerdite, Johanna Brown, Rob Hunter and Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton, titled, Earthenware Masterworks from the St. Asaph's Tradition, "At least seven members of the Loy family were potters. The American patriarch of their line was Martin Loy, who was born in Hessen, Germany, immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1741, and settled in Alamance County between 1755 and 1765. The Loys intermarried with other families who moved from Berks County to Alamance County, most notably the Albrights, who were apparently of Swiss extraction. Martin’s grandson Henry married Sophia Albright, daughter of pottery owner Jacob Albright Jr. Much of the earthenware from St. Asaph’s tradition appears to have centered on those allied families.

The designation “potter” appears next to Jacob Albright’s name in the 1800 tax list for the St. Asaph’s District, but it is unclear whether he worked in that trade or provided land and financing for a manufactory managed by his son-in-law Henry Loy. The Albrights were prominent landowners in Alamance County, making either scenario possible. “An Inventory and an Account of Sales of the Estate of Jacob Albright Decd,” dated March 24, 1825 listed two potter’s wheels, a glaze mill, a clay mill, a grindstone, a pipe mold, and a stove mold. That amount of equipment would have been sufficient for a modest workforce."

Nevertheless, the jug sold for $1,200 plus the auction premium.

Note: The sale featured some other good examples of American pottery - here is a link to the auction catalog: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/322929_folk-art-and-americana-auction/

Late 18th or 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug from Alamance County, N.C.

Late 18th or 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug

Reportedly Mad by the Albright or Loy Family in Alamance County, N.C.

Stands 8" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Ledbetter Folk Art Auctions

A View of the Handle

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Photo Courtesy: Ledbetter Folk Art Auctions

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