There has been some speculation that a group of late nineteenth or twentieth century hand-modeled red earthenware animal figurals, largely found in northern New England and Canada through the years originated at a factory in Canada, although the maker has never been identified. The most recent example sold at New England Auctions in Connecticut in 2022 for $375 plus the buyer's premium: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/124500597_redware-dog-branford-ct.
However, the majority of the known figures are in the shape of cows/bulls often adorned with vibrant slip decorations, whereas other forms include sheep and dogs. All of these were farm animals; in fact, most of these animals were an important part of Nova Scotia's agricultural history since the arrival of the first settlers.
The reason I bring up Nova Scotia is due to a slip decorated earthenware animal figural that was recovered by archaeologists in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. The maker of the animal is not known, although it somewhat reminds me of some of the ones that I previously mentioned; however, this archaeological artifact predates those examples.
Nonetheless, the origin of the group of animal figures remains a mystery to me, but I have been able to document about ten examples; one found in Pennsylvania, one found in Ontario, Canada, one that sold through New England Auctions, and the rest all found in northern New England.
Interestingly, I have actually found four of these examples through the years that are shown below, all of which were found in various contexts in Maine, which is why I wonder if they were made in eastern Canada; Nova Scotia, etc. The ones I came across were mostly found as part of old multigenerational estate sales.
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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