This is a red earthenware bowl that I recently came across owned by the Historic Ephrata Cloister in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is described by the museum and historic site as having been made in the late eighteenth century, where it is also stated as being original to the Cloister because the bowl was present when the Cloister was acquired by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1941.
The manufacturer is not identified, but the community was established in 1732 by the German immigrant and religious leader Johann Conrad Beissel (1691-1768), as a Protestant monastic spiritual center, known for its distinct Germanic architecture, vibrant music, illuminated manuscripts (Fraktur), and printing press producing religious works. The community sharply declined after Beissel's death in 1768.
Nonetheless, there is no indication that this bowl was made by a potter working at the Ephrata Cloister, but the idea of it reminds me of forty nineteenth century slip decorated red earthenware bowls that were made at the John Bell (1800-1880) Pottery in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. Those bowls were made for the Snow Hill Nunnery in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and used for serving stew during the Society’s love feast. The love feasts were held regularly by the community throughout its existence, from its founding in 1798 until the death of the last celibate member in 1895. All of the bowls were then auctioned off by Horst Auction Company in Pennsylvania in August 1997: https://oldehope.com/antique-glazed-redware-bowl/.
Note: For more information about the John Bell Pottery - see a three-page cover story I wrote for the December 7, 2018 issue of Antiques and Auction News, titled, The Bell Pottery Collection At The Renfrew Museum in Waynesboro, Pa. - http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2018/12/feature-story-published-in-antiques-and.html.
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