Brimfield find last week! While walking the antique fields, I came across a late nineteenth- or twentieth century hand-thrown red earthenware vase or urn featuring a striking cobalt blue exterior and a contrasting green glazed interior. Though the specific manufacturer is unknown, I suspect it is American-made. The pot exhibits clear firing flaws in the cobalt glaze, along with three distinct marks on the rim left behind by kiln furniture or stacking during the kiln firing.
Interestingly, I noticed a gray slip—or engobe—applied directly between the red clay body and the blue exterior, a technical step likely used as a primer to ensure the cobalt fired to its true color instead of turning a different color.
I purchased it from a familiar dealer who sold me a small, late eighteenth or early nineteenth century Bristol County, Massachusetts red earthenware jar three summers ago. When asked about this new piece, he gave me the same response he did last time: he could not recall where the individual object was found, but confirmed that all his inventory is picked directly from old estates in the southeastern Massachusetts area.
Given how many unknowns still surround late nineteenth- and early twentieth century pottery production—especially regarding operations in Somerset and the Boston area, the terracotta factories of the New York City area and New Jersey, and the factories of southeastern Pennsylvania—this felt like a fantastic piece to study. For just $20, I hope to learn something new!
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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