A Black-Glazed Red Earthenware Inkwell Holder Discovered on the Maine Seacoast Today

On my way home today, from the coastal Maine flea markets, I stopped into a few random shops along Route 1 between Wiscasset, Maine and York, Maine. I was just handling a piece that I found in one of these shops a few minutes ago - and, I felt it was worth showing.

The form appears to me to be a wheel-thrown black glazed red earthenware inkwell holder. It's a well-made piece with a footed base. What really drew my attention to this piece was the stamped base, which is stamped with the number '145;' however, the number is actually made from three separate stamps - the numbers, 1, 4 and 5 were used. A similar technique was used at the Dodge Pottery in Portland, Maine in the 1800's. There are also some products today that are even attributed to the potter, Thomas Truxton Kendrick in Hollis, Maine that have a stamped base with a number applied with this same (multiple stamp) method; however, I feel those products were possibly (likely) also made in Portland by the Dodge family.

I assume this inkwell holder is a New England-made piece from the nineteenth-century.  For what it matters, the antique dealer, who I purchased this from, told me it was found in Maine.

 19th Century Black-Glazed Red Earthenware Inkwell Holder Likely Made in New England

Stands 2 1/4" Tall

Base Measures 2 3/8" in Diameter

Found in a Shop on the Maine Seacoast Today

 View of the Interior of the Inkwell Holder

 View of the Base

View of the Stamped Base with the Number '145' Created from Individual Stamps

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

An Important Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Child's Dish that Will Sell Tonight in Mebane, North Carolina

The red earthenware made in Alamance County, North Carolina in the eighteenth and the nineteenth-centuries is some of the most highly prized utilitarian pottery produced in America today; although, it should also be considered that pottery made all-over North Carolina in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries is also cherished among collectors and museums today. North Carolina wares from this period are utilitarian by nature, but they also fall into the realm of true American folk art. The wares are often colorful adorned in multiple colors of slip decoration illuminating products made for functional everyday household needs. Auction results have reached well into the five-figures in recent years for Alamance County products, which include a museum-quality heavily slip decorated lidded sugar jar that brought more than $35,000 at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland in July of 2014.

According to Crocker Farm, "In the past, several examples of this style have been attributed to the Moravian potters of Salem and Bethabara, North Carolina, including (the potters) Rudolph Christ and John Butner. However, recent research indicates that pieces of this distinct style were made in or around the St. Asaph's district of modern-day Alamance County, North Carolina; the entire decorative style was primarily driven by members of the Loy family of potters, working for or alongside members of the Albright family.

Many of the sugar jars now in public or private collections, including this example, were purchased in North Carolina by pioneer antiques dealer, Joe Kindig, Jr., during the 1930's - and, later sold through his business in York, Pennsylvania. The term 'sugar jar,'used on many eighteenth and nineteenth century inventories, is corroborated by the fact that many of the jars Kindig found in North Carolina still contained sugar when he purchased them.

The majority of the known examples of slipware from this school are currently held in museum collections across the country (today)."

18th/19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Sugar Bowl Attributed to Alamance County, NC

Possibly Jacob Albright, Jr. and Henry Loy

 Circa 1790-1810

Stands 10" Tall Including the Lid

Sold for $35,650 in 2014

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

Another View of the Jar

 Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

 View of the Jar with the Lid Removed

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

More recently, a slip decorated red earthenware dish sold at Pook and Pook Auctions in April of this year as part of the Jefferson and Anne Weiler Miller Collection that was also attributed to Alamance County - and, the potter, Solomon Loy. The already important dish possessed a strong provenance seeing that it was owned by the late Jefferson Weiler, an important figure in the museum, research and antique worlds. 

According to the Baltimore newspaper, 'The Baltimore Sun,' "J. Jeffrey Miller died in 2005. Mr. Miller was a graduate of the fellowship program at the Henry F. DuPont Winterthur Museum in Winterthur, Delaware. (Afterwards) For the next 20 years, he was the curator of ceramics and glass at the Smithsonian's Museum of History and Technology, today known as the Museum of American History. He was a founder of the American Ceramics Circle and a member of the American Folk Art Society. Most recently, he was director of the Maryland Historical Society."

The auction house described this dish as a "North Carolina redware dish from the early nineteenth century attributed to Solomon Loy of Alamance County (North Carolina), with yellow, brown and green slip decoration with a central philphlot within a sawtooth border and a floral sprig on the outer edge."

Ultimately, this dish achieved a hammer price of $18,000 that trumped the auction estimate of $5,000 to $10,000.

Here is a link to the report that I wrote last month, which briefly recapped the Weiler sale.

North Carolina Redware Dish Attributed to Solomon Loy - Alamance County, NC

Circa 1825-1840

Measures 10 1/4" in Diameter

Collection of Jefferson and Anne Weiler Miller

Sold for $18,000 on April 25, 2015

Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook Auctions - Downington, PA

While scanning through some of the online listings for upcoming auctions this week, I discovered a small slip decorated child's dish attributed to Solomon Loy that has been consigned to Mebane Antique Auctions in Mebane North Carolina. The dish is not as prolific as the two previous examples that were discussed; however, it is still a rare, attractive and accomplished product from a historically important southern potter. The auction house says the dish was consigned from a private Alamance County family in the Kimesville Commuity.

Attached to the base of this dish is an old label; unfortunately, the auction house has not disclosed online what the tag reads in any of its listings - even though, there are definitely words written. They describe the old tag as "an old piece of tape from the family owner." They go onto further describe the dish as, "totally original, unaltered and a truly important new discovery of early Piedmont, North Carolina redware."

Early 19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Child's Dish

Attributed to Solomon Loy - Alamance County, NC

Stands 1 1/4" Tall

Measures 5" in Diameter

Photo Courtesy: Mebane Antique Auction - Mebane, NC

View of the Base with the Old Attached Label

Photo Courtesy: Mebane Antique Auction - Mebane, NC

This dish is scheduled to sell this evening in North Carolina. It will certainly be interesting to compare the results of this dish to past results. I am not sure I will have access to the realized price for this piece, since I am not attending the sale, but I will try my best to obtain this information - and, write a follow-up report at a later time.

For more reading on the eighteenth and nineteenth-century pottery manufactured in Alamance County, North Carolina from the potter, Solomon Loy - I suggest, an article, written by Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton for the 2010 edition of Ceramics in America, titled, 'Solomon Loy: Master Potter of the Carolina Piedmont.' This edition of Ceramics in America, also, further discusses early pottery produced elsewhere in North Carolina.

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

A Rare Red Earthenware Jar Acquired from a Friend a Few Years Ago

Two days ago, I briefly examined the idea of experiences and memories that are kept with each piece of pottery that I own today. Individually, almost every pot possesses a distinct intangible self-worth that sometimes trumps the actual monetary value; however, the sentimental value, for me, is typically what matters most. I find it much more appealing to own a pot that carries a pleasant or fond memory - such as a pot that may have materialized from a relative or descended through a family - or, a pot that may have even been acquired from a good friend. I'm sure there are incredible adventures, that some, who may be reading this story can share themselves that happened around unimaginable circumstances. I really feel that it is these unique moments that form the excitement - and, ultimately the memories that many cherish today concerning why a certain prized object is enjoyed in the space of a person's or a family's private home. It's also the moments that lead up to the discovery that is often what makes a specific object even more appealing than only its physical and tangible appearance. No matter how marvelous a certain object may appear in-hand - or, on a shelf or in a cupboard - the memory that accompany's it is what some (including myself) will hold onto forever. The object may even eventually move onto a new owner - and, a new collection, but its memory and its story are usually what lasts a lifetime.

I remember when I first saw the red earthenware jar that I am going to discuss today; I was visiting a friend of mine in western Massachusetts, who has really helped me progress as a collector and a student of New England-made red earthenware over the years. The first time that I visited his family's home - he gave me a tour - and, I found this pot tucked away in a back room inside a cabinet near the floor. He told me that he had owned it for a number of years - and, his belief was that it may have been made in Essex County, Massachusetts around the turn of the nineteenth-century. I agreed. The form and the incised decoration did appear like an Essex County product made in the 1780 to 1820 period; although, it's really difficult to be one-hundred percent certain of these ideas today. In theory, there are a number of characteristics that are known today that made me think this pot was a product made in coastal Massachusetts in the late-1700's.

Characteristically, this large ovoid jar is decorated with a tan-colored glaze flecked with brown dots, there are deep incised lines around the neck, more deep incised straight and wavy lines along the upper half of the body, two applied handles and a beautifully made rounded foot.

The lid is not original. It was acquired from another friend last winter. It fits the pot well, which requires a larger sized lid that measures over five-inches in diameter.

My personal belief is that this jar was made in coastal Massachusetts in the late-1700's (or maybe the early years of the 1800's); however, archaeological proof from another area - or, another potter's business may prove otherwise. For now, I believe that many of the characteristics that adorn this jar suggest a potter, who worked somewhere north of Boston.

Most of the following photographs were taken in the bright New England sunlight this afternoon; the last photograph was taken in the shade so you can see the glaze differences in contrasting natural light.

 Late-18th Century New England-Made Red Earthenware Jar
Possibly Produced in Coastal Massachusetts North of Boston

Circa 1780-1820

Stands 11 7/8" Tall

Believed to Have Been Made in Coastal Massachusetts in the Late-1700's
I Believe the Jar is from the Late-1700's Because of the Form, Decoration and Overall Style

 Another View of the Jar with One Handle

 View of Some of the Incised Decoration

  Another View of the Jar with the Other Handle

 View of the Interior of the Jar

View of the Jar in the Shade

I plan to tell more personal stories that include the histories and the particular association that I have with certain pieces from my personal collection in the near future.

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

A Rare Red Earthenware Jar Purchased in 2011 with a Possible Important Eighteenth-Century Massachusetts Origin

There are several conditions that attract me to American-made redware and stoneware today - history, skill, color, decoration, context, artistry, beauty, form, use - and, even the 'the hunt' that is required to discover such objects are a few of those attractions; however, all of the objects that I own today are also attached to a personal memory. There are some objects that were given to me by my parents as gifts, others have come from friends, who I admire, who have helped me progress with my studies over the years, some objects were personally picked by myself, others have been the result of trades with friends, some are examples that I have discovered through connections that I have made with my studies - and, others were purchased at exciting antique shows. None-the-less, every object that I own today comes with a story - and, a memory. Truthfully, I can tell a story with every single piece. I also remember how I obtained every single piece in my collection.

I have been fortunate to have made friends with some of the the most knowledgeable people in New England redware in recent years. I remember in July of 2011, sending Cape Cod, Massachusetts collector, dealer and writer, Brian Cullity an email, asking if he had any William Pecker pottery made in Merrimacport, Massachusetts available - he told me that he did not, but he said I should see the redware collection that Northeast Auctions (based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire) had been consigned for their upcoming August Americana Sale. I quickly logged onto their website - and, I stared in wonder at some of the most beautiful New England-made objects that I had seen to-date. The Friday portion of that three-day sale included the collection of Dr. Edgar Robertson, a Massachusetts Neurologist, who bought, sold and collected pottery; his main interest focused with the wares that were made in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries. Honestly, I was rather shocked to see such a collection commissioned to the auction house - and, I made every effort to put together as much money as I could in the following few weeks.

My father, and I made it a point to not miss this sale. I remember we arrived together at the Center of Manchester, New Hampshire a little less than two-hours before the sale began - assuring, that I had enough time to preview everything that I planned to bid on. Ultimately, I won five lots in this sale, which included a wonderful and exceedingly rare large jar that I would like to discuss today.

This hand-thrown large red earthenware jar was described by the auction house as possibly a late-eighteenth-century product made in Essex County, Massachusetts (circa 1790-1830); however, due to what I have seen in archaeological contexts and museum collections, I believe this jar could possibly date from the 1770 to 1790's period. 

According to Northeast Auctions, "the jar is of an elongated ovoid form with a molded neck and applied lug handles; the jar is (heavily) incised around the upper (half) portion with alternating wavy and straight banding; the jar is covered in a reddish-brown glaze splashed with manganese brown drips and further embellished with yellow halos."

It's nearly impossible to suggest an exact attribution for this jar; whereas, the manner, in which, the glaze is applied, is reminiscent to some eighteenth-century Osborn Pottery decorated wares made in South Danvers (today known as Peabody), Massachusetts. Although, with all of that said, the rings around the neck, the large rounded foot and the unusual carrying handles are also characteristics that are attributed to the potters, who were employed near the Taunton River in Southeastern Massachusetts today. It is because of these characteristics (glaze versus form) that I keep going back-and-forth, but the form is likely a much-stronger factor in this case. It should also be noted that the potters in Essex County were mostly of Quaker descent, some, of whom, migrated to Southeastern Massachusetts for work in the 1700's. Intermarriages between the Quaker religion were heavy between Essex County and Southeastern Massachusetts, which, inevitably intertwined the two areas. Based on all of this information - I think that I am better off naming this jar a late-eighteenth-century product made somewhere in Coastal Massachusetts - rather, than trying to distinguish between the north and south shores/coasts.

 18th Century Red Earthenware Jar Likely Made in Coastal Massachusetts

Likely Made in Either Essex County, Mass. or Southeastern Mass.

Circa 1770-1790's

Stands 12 1/2" Tall

 View of the Banded Incised Decoration

 View of One of the Handles

 View of the Interior of the Pot

There was Likely Originally a Lid that Went with this Jar

 View of the Neck and Rim

View of the Rounded Foot

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

A Nineteenth Century Stoneware Face Jug That Will Sell at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland this Summer

A wonderful nineteenth-century Dave 'The Slave' Drake stoneware butter churn made in South Carolina in 1859 sold a few months ago at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland, which definitely garnered some serious interest. I wrote a report about the object that I posted on February 19th. The churn achieved a respected price of more than eight-thousand-dollars on March 14th.

For a brief recap, from that report, "The history of Dave Drake is compelling: he was born into slavery in 1800 in the Edgefield District of South Carolina. He is thought to have been born to the plantation owner, Harry Drake, a religious man, who may have taught some of his slaves to read and write to help with their religious studies. There is also some evidence that suggests Dave may have lost a leg in an accident in his younger years, but I do not have evidence to prove this other than reading about it. 

Dave reportedly learned the potter's trade at a young age from white men of European descent employed where he lived as a slave in South Carolina. His pots were sometimes decorated with his name, the date of manufacture - and, a poem. His original poems were usually related to the vessel's use, religion or a family member. Examples of Dave's unsigned work are sometimes attributed to him today by either the "Lm" mark (business where he was employed) or two incised slashes sometimes placed carefully unobtrusively on the pot

I would describe Dave as a master potter occasionally throwing by hand huge vessels intended to hold gallons of material not regularly seen elsewhere in America in the nineteenth-century. The skill and raw strength it took to throw some of these forms is remarkable. Dave can even be considered today as the kind of person who's life manifested into folk lore and legend. In a historical context, Dave was an educated enslaved potter, who could read and write - all-while being an artist and a poet in a tumultuous period laying witness to America's Civil War (1861-1865). In theory, I can only imagine that some of Dave's work must have been destroyed during the war. Dave Drake is an overly important potter today who's work helps define an important period in American history."

In July, Crocker Farm will offer another significant example of South Carolina-made stoneware to the highest bidder; a small stoneware face jug has been consigned from a home in the northeast. The jug, also, has ties to the state's enslaved African Americans in the 1800's. These kind of jugs have been lent a few suggested uses by historians, which I will discuss; however, I don't believe any of these jugs have ever been attributed to Dave before.

When I visited the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. a year-and-a-half ago, I was overly impressed with the museum's collection of face jugs. It was incredible to see such a marvelous collection that combined makers from all over the American south, which included potters in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia from the nineteenth and twentieth-centuries. Personally, I believe the jugs made in South Carolina are the most significant today because of what they represent and the southern slavery movement that they developed from.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts collector, dealer - and, writer, Brian Cullity has shared stories with me of related jugs that he has discovered in New England through the span of his career. He even recalls a South Carolina face jug that appeared at a Hap Moore Auction in York, Maine a few decades ago. The jug reportedly emerged from a local home. I can only imagine what it must have been like picking for such objects in the 1970's and the 1980's. Prices have drastically changed for these sorts of objects, too; Skinner, Inc. (Boston and Marlborough, Massachusetts) recently sold an Aiken County, South Carolina face jug in 2012 that possessed a modest estimate of $800 to $1,200; however, bidders thought otherwise, when the jug achieved more than $56,000. 

According to Skinner, "The jug descended through a Connecticut antiquarian, who collected antiques in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-centuries. The base of the jug was signed 'Aiken, S.C.' A late-nineteenth or early-twentieth-century hand-written note was found inside of the jug that was inscribed, 'Monkey Jug = made in Bath, S.C. 1862 by negro slaves/Aiken, S.C.'" Although, it should be noted that the 'Monkey Jug' use is merely a suggestion by this antiquarian - I will explain 'why' I suggest this shortly.

The director of the American Furniture and Decorative Arts Department at Skinner in Boston, Stephen F. Fletcher, wrote in a 2012 article, "I asked the consignor about her great-grandfather who had collected the jug and written the note. We learned that he had most likely acquired it in the late 19th or early 20th century, just a few decades after the piece was made. The fact that he saw fit to acquire this unique example of an African-American face jug shows a developed aesthetic sensibility. The fact the jug survived all this while undamaged is miraculous."

Stephen L. Fletcher also wrote, "further research into the history of the jug led us to two articles from the 2006 edition of Ceramics in America. In an article written by John A. Burrison, titled, 'Fluid Vessel: Journey of the Jug,' it is proposed that face jugs like this one were likely influenced by anthropomorphic clay vessels made in West Africa , the chief source of the Atlantic slave trade."

 19th Century Small Stoneware Face Jug Attributed to Bath (Aiken County), SC

Reportedly Made in 1862

Descended Though a CT Antiquarian Until the Jug Sold in 2012

Sold for $56,288 at Skinner in Boston in 2012

Stands 4 1/2" Tall
Photo Courtesy: Skinner, Inc. - Boston & Marlborough, MA

Another View of the Jug

Photo Courtesy: Skinner, Inc. - Boston & Marlborough, MA

Another View of the Jug

Photo Courtesy: Skinner, Inc. - Boston & Marlborough, MA

Fletcher continues, "a related article in the same issue, titled, 'Making Faces: Archaeological Evidence of African-American Face Jug Production' (Newell & Lenzo) discusses the origin and use of pottery face vessels called 'Monkey' jugs, after 'monkeyed,' a southern term for the dehydrating effect of the summer heat.

Small jugs have aroused curiosity as to their use (like both seen in this report), as they were so small that they would not hold much liquid to quench a thirsty person. This article also mentions a 1909 interview by early American historian, Edwin Atlee Barber with South Carolina plantation pottery owner, Colonel Thomas Davies, who commented that the small jugs were used by the slaves for 'their own purposes,' inferring a connection between the jugs and possible religious and ritual practices."

Also, according to Skinner, "Burrison's 2006 article suggests that the jugs made at Colonel Davies Fire Brick Works at Bath in West Central South Carolina are often distinguished by bulging eyes and bared teeth of kaolin inset into the stoneware clay body."

The jug that Crocker Farm offers in July demonstrates similar bulging eyes and teeth made from kaolin, which may reveal a connection between these two jugs by way of their production methods. It's difficult to prove, but I am curious to know if the jug that Crocker Farm will sell this summer is a Bath, South Carolina product. My idea is only mere speculation, but I felt it may make for a good discussion.

I can not say for sure, whether, there is a direct relationship found between the jug that sold at Skinner in 2012 - and, the jug that Crocker Farm will sell this summer; although, there are certainly some similarities recognized in the bulging eyes and the kaolin teeth. There is also definitely a strong relationship for each jug in a historical context. We will have to wait until this summer to witness whether or not this jug will realize a similar result as that, which sold in Boston in 2012. 

 Rare 19th Century Small Alkaline Glazed Stoneware Face Jug

Edgefield, South Carolina Origin

Circa 1860

Stands 5" Tall
Consigned from a Home in the Northeast
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

 Another View of the Face Jug
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

 Another View of the Face Jug
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

 View of One Ear
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

View of the Other Ear 

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

 View of the Handle
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

 View of the Interior
Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

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

A Comparison of a Beautiful Red Earthenware Jug Discovered in Vermont to Other Known Related Forms

Arguably, a large handled jug that I acquired from Connecticut collector, dealer - and, friend, Lewis Scranton at last year's New Hampshire Antique Dealer's Association Show at Antiques Week in New Hampshire is among my favorite single objects of pottery that I own today. The jug was originally purchased from Vermont antique dealer, Michael Seward before the show began. Michael, later told me that the jug was acquired from a home on the border of South Woodstock, Vermont and Hartland, Vermont. The jug is believed to have been made at one of the potter's businesses in Southeastern Massachusetts in either the eighteenth or the early-years of the nineteenth-century. I've always marveled at this piece - the skill, size, form, decoration, color - and, rarity are almost unseen today.

 18th or Early 19th Century New England-Made Red Earthenware Jug

Possibly Made in Southeastern, Mass.

Ca. 1770-1810

Stands 10" Tall

Purchased in 2014 at the New Hampshire Antique Dealers Association Show in Manchester, NH

Originally Found by Antique Dealer, Michael Seward in a Vermont Home

 View of the Handle

 Another View of the Jug

 Another View of the Jug

View of the Interior

A few months later, I was surprised to see a related example, when I attended the Historic Deerfield (Massachusetts) Antiques Show in Western Massachusetts last fall. The museum owns a similar jug that was brokered into Historic Deerfield a few years ago as part of the William T. Brandon Memorial Collection of American Redware and Ceramics.

According to the museum, "Jugs, were used for the storage of everything from water to wine, whiskey, vinegar, oil - and even tar are among America's earliest uses. Redware jugs range in size from a half-pint to one-gallon (or more); larger examples are rare (today) due to both their weight and fragile nature." 

Incredibly, the jug retains an old label from 1918 that reads, "Attributed to the Barnstable (Massachusetts, Cape Cod) Pottery, Coll'd (Collected), 1918, West Barnstable, Mass." The only business that I know of today that operated in West Barnstable was the Parker-Bradford Pottery; however, more information would be needed to properly attribute any of these jugs to that specific business. The business was run by Noah Bradford (1761-1841) - and, his nephew, Daniel Parker, Jr. Another Parker, Benjamin Parker was also involved with the business. Unfortunately, this was mostly a nineteenth-century company - so, I am skeptical, whether or not any of these jugs could have been made at the Parker-Bradford Pottery seeing the age that these jugs possess. I've always been taught that just because an object was found in a certain place, it doesn't mean that it was manufactured in that exact town or city.

 18th Century New England-Made Red Earthenware Jug

Possibly Made in Southeastern, Mass.

Ca. 1790

Stands Roughly 9"-10" Tall

William T. Brandon Memorial Collection of American Redware and Ceramics

Photo Courtesy: Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, Mass.

 Another View of the Jug

Photo Courtesy: Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, Mass.

Old Tag that Accompanied the Jug

Reads, 'Attributed to Barnstable Pottery, Coll'd 1918, West Barnstable, Mass.'

Photo Courtesy: Historic Deerfield - Deerfield, Mass.

View of How the Jug is Displayed in Historic Deerfield (Mass.) Today

I have also, since, realized that another related example sold as part of an important collection that was consigned to Massachusetts auctioneer, Willis Henry in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 2013. Supposedly, this Massachusetts collection was a well-kept secret for more than forty-years. The glaze color on this jug is different than that, which is seen, on the previous two examples; however, the overall form is similar.

Some people, who occasionally read my website have asked for auction results in the past - I don't know the exact price that this jug achieved; although, I do remember that it sold for around $10,000 (or more). I can recall that I was in awe of this piece the first time that I saw pictures of it - honestly, I had never seen anything like it before. My immediate reaction was that it must date from the eighteenth-century - and, I still feel that way today. Presumably, I feel that all of the objects in today's report are eighteenth-century products. Any kind of domestic utilitarian pottery from the 1700's is very-rare today - especially, objects of this stature and size - as a result, I am hesitant to provide any insight into where these jugs were made. But, with taking key characteristics like the handle and the rounded foot into consideration, I feel that there is a strong chance that all of these jugs are important objects that were made near the Taunton River in Southeastern Massachusetts sometime after the American Revolution and before the year 1800.

18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to Southeastern Massachusetts

Ca. 1770-1810

Stands 8" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Willis Henry Auctions - Marshfield, Mass. 

View of the Top of the Jug

Photo Courtesy: Willis Henry Auctions - Marshfield, Mass. 

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

A Wonderful Discovery Made by a Friend Today at a Flea Market in Essex County, Massachusetts

Today's, flea market find was discovered at Todd's Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Massachusetts, by a friend of mine, retired Portsmouth, New Hampshire Firefighter - and, antique collector, Charles Cormier. I'm not sure what the case was this morning, but Charles either beat me to the dealer, who brought this wonderful object - or, I walked right past it. Either way, we eventually met up in the field this morning, where he pulled this object from his green backpack to show to me. He wanted to know what I thought - and, whether or not I liked it. Eventually, he sold it to me for a small profit, which was really generous of him.

In recent month's, I have written about red earthenware bird feeders made for bird cages - relatively, they are a rare object to find today. There is an example owned by Historic New England at Cogswell's Grant in Essex, Massachusetts that is part of the incredibly important Nina Fletcher Little Collection. The museum describes it as, "a small redware food dish with a short handle at the top with a hole for a dipping rod; there is a wider rough hewn bottom; an unglazed outside with a clear lead glazed inside, it's intended for use in a miner's canary cage." The museum says that the maker is unknown; however, a broad production date range of 1775 to 1850 is suggested.

Here is a link to that bird feeder.

18th/19th Century Red Earthenware Bird Feeder Intended for a Bird Cage

Circa 1775-1850

Stands 2" Tall

Nina Fletcher Little Collection at Cogswell's Grant in Essex, MA

Photo Courtesy: Historic New England - Boston, MA

The object that I purchased from my friend, Charles today, is a very-similar redware bird feeder; however, this bird feeder is still in its original context. The feeder came along with what I believe to be its original hand-made Victorian Period bird cage. It's remarkable to see this! The small cage has survived in wonderful condition despite its use as an everyday household object used by a pet. The only difference that I can see between this redware bird feeder - when compared to the example in Historic New England's Collection is that this feeder is glazed on the interior - and, the exterior.

Personally, I believe this bird cage and redware bird feeder were both made in New England in the 1800's; unfortunately, I don't have any specific information to pinpoint an area for production.

** Since writing this article yesterday, I have since learned that this kind of (canary) cage - and, bird feeder were often used by miners in the 1800's. Simply put, when the canary died, it was time for the miner to leave because the air quality was bad. According to Indiana collector, Lisa Buchanan Elifritz, "this idea served as inspiration for the song 'Canary in a Coalmine' by the Police from the late-1970's."

I assume that these kind of cages were used by miners all-over America in the nineteenth-century - pinpointing a maker is really difficult; however, I have seen a small number of these kind of redware feeders - and, many vary in glaze style even though most of the forms are similar. The variation in glaze could possibly distinguish multiple makers from a number regions throughout the country. I even own a redware feeder that was dug at a dump north of Concord, New Hampshire, which may suggest its use in a mine somewhere in the New Hampshire mountains. I'd like to know if this cage was hand-made by a miner - or, was it a generic product that most miners acquired from a store before they worked in a mine.

According to Massachusetts collector and dealer, Kris Casucci, "I can't pinpoint a particular area they come from; I've found them in the Midwest, Pennsylvania, Brimfield, Massachusetts, New England, etc. Sometimes they have stoneware feeders - other cages have redware or porcelain feeders. Sometimes the feeders are even missing. The most common appears to be stoneware feeders."

 Small 19th Century Hand-Made Bird Cage with Original Red Earthenware Bird Feeder
The Cage was Likely Used by a Miner with a Canary in the 1800's

Cage Measures 5 7/8" (H) by 6 1/2" (W)

Likely Dates from the Victorian Period

Discovered Today by a Friend at a Flea Market in Essex County, MA

The Feeder is Similar to an Example Owned by Historic New England 

The Similar Example is Part of the Nine Fletcher Little Collection at Cogswell's Grant in Essex, MA

 Another View of the Bird Cage

 Another View of the Bird Cage

 Another View of the Bird Cage

 Another View of the Bird Cage

A Good View of the Bird Feeder Inside the Bird Cage

Stands Approximately 2 1/4" Tall

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