A Pair of Manganese-Decorated Red Earthenware Objects, Essex County, Massachusetts

This post is another preview of my forthcoming two-volume, 1,900+ page, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly and Salem, Massachusetts: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2026/01/update-on-new-book-book-sent-to.html. 

While researching the book, I wanted to include the story of a lesser-known piece: an unusual mug kept at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. This unique production was originally highlighted in the illustrations section of Early New England Potters and Their Wares. Here is that story.

"...In the book, Early New England Potters and Their Wares, Lura Woodside Watkins illustrates a “red earthenware mug with a brilliant orange glaze and black decoration from Essex County, Massachusetts” (fig. 56b). Although Watkins does not specify the exact town or pottery of origin, South Danvers (now Peabody) is the most likely birthplace outside of Beverly or Salem. Furthermore, because the handle and glaze styles diverge from prominent families like the Osbornes or Southwicks, the mug may instead stem from lesser-known artisans such as the Cooks, Feltons, or Goldthwaites (see Chapter 5). Currently, the only known counterpart to this piece is a closely related pitcher discovered in southern New Hampshire within the last two decades.

Seeing this pitcher side by side with the mug makes it clear they came from the exact same pottery shop. They share the same bright orange base glaze and the same bold, messy splashes of dark decoration. Even the shape of the thick, ridged handle is identical. Because these features are so unique, the pitcher proves that the mug was not not just a one-time accident, but part of a deliberate style made by a highly skilled local craftsman..."

18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Mug Attributed to Essex County, Mass.

Published in Figure 56b in Early New England Potters and Their Wares
See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute

18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher

This Pitcher is Directly Related to the Mug Shown Above

See Article for More Information

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...