A Rare Decorated Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Jug from Southeastern Massachusetts

I consider this late-eighteenth or early-nineteenth-century red earthenware jug to be one of the rarest styles of decoration to find from the southeastern Massachusetts potter's industry. It may even be one of the rarest styles of decoration to find anywhere in New England in the eighteenth or nineteenth-centuries. To my knowledge, this is the only known object from southeastern Massachusetts, which exhibits this exact type of decoration today.

This jug was likely made by a member from the Boyce or Shove families in either Berkley or Somerset, Massachusetts around the turn of the nineteenth-century, circa 1780-1820. The exterior and interior glazes are spectacular, where the potter applied a clear lead glaze, manganese, a green copper glaze and yellow slip-decoration. The potter also carefully applied bands of straight and wavy incised lines, in the areas, where the slip and manganese were applied on the top section of the jug.

This jug also retains an intriguing recent history, where it was discovered a few summers ago at Todd's Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Massachusetts. Presumably, this jug must have also recently been found in a local home during a house clean-out (or such) for it to appear in such a context at a New England flea market.

I had heard stories about this jug for about one-year after it was discovered - it was reportedly found in the dark on a Sunday morning in July around 4:00 am in Rowley. A picker/collector from Maine found it, and it was one of the few objects that he decided to keep that summer. However, I was eventually lucky enough to acquire this jug directly from him; although, he made me promise that I would write about the jug since he also realized the importance of its decoration.

Note: Here is a link to a related smaller jug that sold last year in Lewis Scranton's Collection at Skinner, Inc. in Killingworth, Connecticut.

Late-18th or Early-19th Century Red Earthenware Jug
Discovered a Few Years Ago at Todd's Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Mass.
Attributed to Southeastern Massachusetts
Likely Made in Either Berkley, Mass. or Somerset, Mass.
Circa 1780-1820
Stands 8 3/4" Tall

Another View of the Remarkable Glaze

Another View of the Remarkable Glaze

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

Potentially an Important Example of 19th Century Maine-Made Red Earthenware and Pewter that Sold this Morning on eBay

Potentially, an important example of nineteenth-century Maine-made red earthenware may have just sold on eBay for a little over one-hundred dollars. It was sold out of Sanbornville, New Hampshire, which is a small town located just over the southern Maine border. I would have bid, but I did not see this eBay listing until after it had already ended.

I initially thought that the pewter top was added as a make-do attachment after the jug had broken - after all, make-do repairs are not uncommon to Maine-made red earthenware. However, the picture that I have posted below, which shows the interior of the pewter top appears like the rim of the jug is still perfectly intact, and in great shape as it rests inside the pewter top.

This is my reaction: The jug appears like it was made at the John Corliss Pottery in Woolwich, Maine, circa 1825-1880. However, the pewter lid may have been made in Westbrook, Maine (5 miles west of Portland, Maine), where a pewter industry flourished in the late-1830's to the 1860's.

This red earthenware object may have been intentionally created at the John Corliss Pottery in Woolwich with a pewter lid. I do not believe this type of connection has ever been made between the Corliss Pottery and a pewterer before.

Similar objects were created in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries that were made out of earthenware and stoneware. German potters were especially known for this type of production with earthenware jugs, mugs and pitchers, which were manufactured with an attached pewter lid.

Nineteenth-century American potters in the Midwest were also known to have produced red earthenware in the 1870's with tin handles that were intentionally added by the potter. The tin would have likely been more durable than a traditional pottery handle - the tin handle could have also easily been replaced. Here is a link to a Midwestern example (far left) that sold at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland in March 2013.

Note: I apologize for the quality of the following photos; however, these are the only photos that I have available to use. I also had to enlarge the original eBay photos without losing quality. Here is also a link to the original eBay auction that ended this morning.

Red Earthenware Jug with Pewter Lid

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug with Pewter Top

The Jug Appears to Have Been Made at the John Corliss Pottery in Woolwich, ME

Pewter Lid Possibly Made in Westbrook, ME

Circa 1830's to 1860's

Stands 7" Tall

Photo Courtesy: eBay

 Another View of the Jug

Photo Courtesy: eBay

View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: eBay

 View Inside the Pewter Lid
The Jug's Rim Appears Intact and in Great Shape

Photo Courtesy: eBay

View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: eBay

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

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl that was Recently Found in a House Near Augusta, Maine

This is a nineteenth-century red earthenware bowl that I recently acquired from an antiques picker, who lives near Wiscasset, Maine. Although, the bowl was actually just found in a nineteenth-century house near Augusta, Maine.

I do not know where this bowl was specifically made, but I do feel it was made in Maine in the nineteenth-century. The rounded foot reminds me of some of the sherds that I have recently written about, which were recovered in various nineteenth-century archaeological contexts in Yarmouth, Maine - these sherds are thought to have been produced at the nearby North Yarmouth, Maine potter's industry. However, the rounded rim and the rounded foot also remind me of similar formed bowls that were made at the Ezra Porter Pottery in Wiscasset, circa 1790-1886.

Given the facts, I believe this bowl was likely made somewhere along coastal Maine, circa 1790-1860, but I am not convinced, which potter's business could be responsible. This bowl may have been made at a nineteenth-century potter's business located somewhere in Maine's Mid-Coast region.

Note: Here is a link to a bowl owned by the Maine State Museum that was made by Ezra Porter in Wiscasset, Maine - the museum's bowl was made with a similar rounded foot and rounded rim.

I have also posted a few links to articles that I have recently written about objects that were found in nineteenth-century archaeological contexts in Yarmouth, Maine - many of these objects were made with a similar rounded foot. It also appears that a number of bowls were produced at the North Yarmouth, Maine potter's industry in the 1800's.

1) Yarmouth, Maine Crawl Space Article

2) Yarmouth, Maine Privy

Bowl Recently Found in a House Near Augusta, ME

19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl Probably Made at a Potter's Business on Coastal Maine

Reportedly Recently Found in a 19th Centuury House Near Augusta, ME

Possibly Made Mid-Coast Maine

Circa 1790-1860

Stands 3 3/8" Tall

Measures 10 1/8" in Diameter from Rim-to-Rim

View of the Bowl's Interior

View of the Glaze

Another View of the Glaze

View of the Rounded Foot

Another View of the Rounded Foot

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

The Pottery Collection of MIT Professor Emeritus Frank H. Norton at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

Yesterday, my niece, nephew and myself debuted a new YouTube channel that we have created, where we will post videos that talk about eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth-century pottery that is (mostly) American-made. We posted two videos yesterday - we talked about pottery produced in Newburyport, Massachusetts, circa 1897-1908, as-well-as a collection of pottery that was acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1971 from MIT Professor Emeritus Frank H. Norton (1896-1992), who was also a direct descendant of the famous nineteenth-century Frank B. Norton Pottery in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Although, it is also documented today that Frank H. Norton was also an accomplished potter having produced both decorative red earthenware and stoneware objects in the twentieth-century. To my knowledge: the Museum of Fine Arts owns the bulk of Norton's production that is known today; however, I was able to acquire two objects from Norton's granddaughter a few years ago on Cape Cod, which we discussed in one of the YouTube videos that we posted yesterday. Both of these unusual objects were reportedly made by Frank H. Norton, circa 1940's.

Nevertheless, I also acquired some other pottery from Frank H. Norton's granddaughter, which included a small vase made at the Merrimac Ceramic Company in Newburyport and another vase that was made at the Moses Paige Pottery in Peabody, Massachusetts. I was told that these objects were a part of Frank H. Norton's Collection that he did not donate to the Museum of Fine Arts in 1971.

The following object is a vase that would likely be generically attributed to New England or possibly Pennsylvania today from the nineteenth-century. But I was told by Norton's granddaughter that this vase was actually acquired by Frank H. Norton from the Moses Paige Pottery in Peabody in 1928. The Museum of Fine Arts owns additional examples of Paige's production that had come from Norton, which also appear like nineteenth-century products, but they all date from the twentieth-century.

It is difficult to tell from the photos, but this vase also shows small traces of slip-decoration, which is a style of decoration that I do not believe has been tied to twentieth-century Peabody before. The use of slip-decoration in eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth-century Essex County, Massachusetts has been an ongoing research subject that I would like to better explain in the future.

Note: Here are links to the Professor Emeritus Frank H. Norton Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston - his collection spans a wide range of pottery, which includes ancient objects to twentieth-century production. But he definitely shows a special interest with the pottery that was produced along coastal Massachusetts in the late-nineteenth and twentieth-centuries. A number of the objects from Norton's collection are also currently on display at the museum.

1) Some of Frank H. Norton's Production Owned by the MFA in Boston

2) Frank H. Norton's Collection of Pottery at MFA in Boston

Moses Paige Pottery Vase - Peabody, Mass.

 20th Century Red Earthenware Vase

Reportedly Made at the Moses Paige Pottery in Peabody, Mass
Acquired by MIT Professor Emeritus Frank H. Norton at the Moses Paige Pottery

Reportedly Purchased at the Pottery in 1928

F.H. Norton was a Direct Descendant of the Frank B. Norton Pottery in Worcester, Mass.

Circa 1928

Stands 8 1/4" Tall
See Article for More Information

Another View of the Vase

 View of the Interior

View of the Base

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

A Beautifully Glazed 19th Century Red Earthenware Handled Pot with a History of Ownership in Central Massachusetts

A few days ago, I discussed the production of Abner S. Wight, an important nineteenth-century potter, who worked in Keene, New Hampshire, Marlborough, New Hampshire, West Sterling, Massachusetts and East Brookfield, Massachusetts. Today, I would like to show a beautifully-glazed handled red earthenware pot that I believe may have been made in central, Massachusetts, which also might be related to Wight's production.

I have always wondered where this pot was manufactured - I have considered that it may have been made in Ontario, western New York or New England. But I have recently come to the conclusion that I believe it was made in central Massachusetts since it resided in a longtime antique dealers collection, who picked this object decades ago from a house in central Massachusetts; although, this dealer also happens to reside in central Massachusetts today, as well.

However, I also believe this jar was made in central Massachusetts, as-a-result of its production, where the form (rim, neck, collar and base) and the glaze (separation in the glaze) closely resembles a style of production that I demonstrated two-days ago, which is found in a collection of jars that I own. I showed four jars, which I believe were all made at Abner S. Wight's pottery in West Sterling since they all appear closely related to a jar that is marked with Wight's stamp. This is a stamp that Wight is thought to have occasionally applied when he owned a business in West Sterling, circa 1860-1865/66.

The handled pot is shown below with two of the jars, which I have previously written about - it appears (to me) that there is a close relationship found in the production of these jars, which seems to translate to the production found in the lidded pot. I also believe that the context that this pot was discovered years ago also likely helps contribute to the central Massachusetts attribution.

Note: Here is a link to the article that I posted yesterday, which further discusses Abner S. Wight's red earthenware production in central Massachusetts. I also feel that Wight is a potter, who can be overlooked today, where these type of glazes can be generically attributed to states that are known to have produced colorful glazes, such as Maine and western New York in the nineteenth-century.

Red Earthenware Lidded Pot

 19th Century Red Earthenware Handled  Pot

Possibly Made in Central Massachusetts

Retains a History of Ownership in Central Mass.

Possess Characteristics that are Similar to What Abner S. Wight Produced in West Sterling, MA

See Jars Below

Likely Mid-19th Century

Stands 8 7/8" Tall

 Another View of the Pot

 Another View of the Pot

View of the Handle

View of the Lid

Two Jars with a Similar Style of Production

(Left) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to Abner S. Wight - West Sterling, Mass.

Circa 1860

Stands 8" Tall

(Right) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to Abner S. Wight - West Sterling, Mass.

Also Retain History of Ownership in Central Mass.

Circa 1860

Stands 8 1/2" Tall 

 Another View of the Jars

Another View of the Jars

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

A Beautifully Glazed 19th Century Red Earthenware Pan that Sold this Week in Sturbridge, Massachusetts

Massachusetts auctioneer, David Straight sold a nineteenth-century red earthenware milk pan earlier this week at an auction in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. These type of pans are often difficult to properly attribute to a specific potter's business today since the form has been produced for centuries, which dates back to the ancient Roman period. Although, this pan would likely be attributed to Maine today, as-a-result of its colorful glaze; however, I have an argument that explains why this object was likely made near Sturbridge at a central Massachusetts potter's business, circa 1860.

I own a matching (or very-similar) glazed red earthenware jar that is attributed to Abner S. White, a nineteenth-century red earthenware potter, who is known to have worked in Marlborough, New Hampshire, Keene, New Hampshire, West Sterling, Massachusetts and East Brookfield, Massachusetts. I would not normally develop an attribution on glaze, but there may be an exception here since this jar and pan are decorated with basically matching unusual glazes.

I believe this jar was likely made in West Sterling, circa mid-nineteenth-century by reason of another jar that I own in a very-similar form, which is marked with Wight's stamp, 'A.S. Wight.' To my knowledge, this stamp was only used in West Sterling, circa 1860-1865/66.

In an article written by Edwin H. Coolidge in 1932 for 'Old Time New England,' 'The Pottery Business in Sterling,' "The Wachusett Pottery was established in West Sterling, Massachusetts in 1820 based on surviving letterheads from the company." But, the earliest evidence that Coolidge discovered was in 1837, when the Troy, New Hampshire potter, Henry Tolman (1783-1851) purchased land for a red earthenware business in West Sterling.

According to Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (Early New England Potters and Their Wares), "Henry Tolman was assisted as-early-as 1837, and then succeeded by his son Henry Tolman, Jr. (1810-1892), who in 1849 was running the West Sterling business under the name, 'H. Tolman, Jr. & Co.' The father had evidently retired and died two years later.

The firm is also listed in the New England Directory of 1849 as ' Tolman & Wight.' 

It is possible that Abner S. Wight, son of John Wight of Dublin, New Hampshire already had an interest in the West Sterling pottery, although, by all accounts, he did not purchase it until about 1860.

In 1856, the firm's name was 'Wight & Willard' (later A.S. Wight & Co., circa 1860-1865/66), Tolman had withdrawn from the partnership. Abner S. Wight and his associate carried on a thriving business until after the close of the American Civil War.

The pottery's affairs were then taken over by Marcus L. Snow, James Smith, and Marcellus Wight, who was Abner Wight's son, as 'Snow, Smith & Company.' 

In 1869, it was in the hands of Snow and a new partner, Henry Coolidge, who ran the works successfully as 'Snow and Coolidge' until the death of the latter in 1881."

Note: I have shown a collection of four jars that I own, which I believe are all related to Abner S. Wight's production in West Sterling, Massachusetts. I attribute all of these jars to the circa 1860-1865/66 period, as to when Wight owned the business in West Sterling. The marked jar corresponds with the name of the business and the form is very-similar to the remaining three jars; although, I also suspect that the three remaining jars may date to an earlier (or briefly later) production period in West Sterling, as well.

I also want to mention that two of these jars are colorfully glazed - I could also easily see them attributed to Maine today. This is why it is risky to develop an attribution only based on the glaze.

Here is also a link to the auction catalog from David Straight's January 31st sale in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

Red Earthenware Pan

 19th Century Red Earthenware Pan

Possibly Made by Abner S. Wight in West Sterling, Mass.

Circa 1860

Stands 3 1/2" Tall

Measures 17" in Diameter

Sold: $150

Photo Courtesy: D.L. Straight Auctioneers - Sturbridge, Mass.

 View of the Base

Photo Courtesy: D.L. Straight Auctioneers - Sturbridge, Mass.

View of the Glaze

 Photo Courtesy: D.L. Straight Auctioneers - Sturbridge, Mass.

Another View of the Glaze

 Photo Courtesy: D.L. Straight Auctioneers - Sturbridge, Mass.

Matching (or Very-Similar) Glaze

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to Abner S. Wight - West Sterling, Mass.

Found in Central Mass.

Circa 1860

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

The Glaze Matches or is Very-Similar to the Glaze Found on the Pan

Another View of the Glaze/Jar

Collection of Jars

Collection of 4 Red Earthenware Jars Attributed to Abner S. Wight

 

(Left) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to Abner S. Wight - West Sterling, Mass.

Circa 1860

Stands 8" Tall

(Right) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to Abner S. Wight - West Sterling, Mass.

Circa 1860

Stands 8 1/2" Tall 

(Left) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Stamped with Abner S. Wight's Mark - West Sterling, Mass.

Stamp Used Circa 1860-1865/66

Stands 9 1/4" Tall

(Right) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to Abner S. Wight - West Sterling, Mass.

Circa 1860

Stands 8 3/4" Tall

View of the Mark

View of the A.S. Wight Mark
Stamp Used Circa 1860-1865/66

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

A Rare 19th Century Set of 24 Red Earthenware Candle Molds that SoldLast Night in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

According to a report written in 1980 by George R. Hamell for Northeast Historical Archaeology, 'Earthenware and Salt-Glazed Stonewares of the Rochester-Genesee-Valley Region: An Overview,' "The 1862 probate inventory of Alvin Wilcox's (d. 1862) estate in Ontario County, New York offers the most complete contemporary description of some of the equipment used in a local red earthenware pottery, as well as its relative values and that of some of the wares produced. 

This inventory included: 1 peddler's wagon, $20.00; 1 lot of shop boards (drying boards), $5.00; 1 tile machine with fixtures, $8.00, 1 lot of round 10-inch tiles, $2.00; 20 sets of candle molds (clay tubes, their interiors glazed, set into a wooden frame), $10.00; 1 lot of candle molds (individual clay tubes), $2.00; 1 peddler's box, $1.50; 1 clay mill (pug mill), $10.00, 1 tile press, $2.00; 1 glazing mill, $1.00; 2 clay turning lathes (potter's wheels), $4.00; 2 kilns for burning tile and red earthenware, $40.00; and 1 drying frame, $3.00."

Last night, Maureen and John Boyd sold a set of twenty-four nineteenth-century red earthenware candle molds (or tubes), which had been set into a pine wooden frame at an auction in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The mold was consigned from a northern New England estate.

This rare object basically fit the description of which is found in Alvin Wilcox's 1862 probate inventory in Ontario County, New York, where a similar object is described as, "20 sets of candle molds (clay tubes, their interiors glazed, set into a wooden frame), $10.00."  The interior of the molds that sold last night were even glazed, which is also a characteristic that is described in Wilcox's probate inventory.

The best examples of framed candle molds (or tubes), which  I can directly link to Wilcox today are the rare examples that show each mold had been marked with Wilcox's stamp. I looked at every individual tube on this object last night, but it did not appear that any mold had been marked. As a result, I can not definitely say that this object was made at Wilcox's factory in Ontario County. But it certainly appears similar to another object that is described in Wilcox's 1862 probate inventory.

According to the Society for Historical Archaeology, "Such sets of candle molds were among the most unique articles of red earthenware manufactured by Alvin Wilcox in the 1850's. These framed molds were sold in a variety of sizes. Wilcox was also one of the few red earthenware potters anywhere, who marked their wares (but not every single piece of pottery that Wilcox produced was marked)."

Nevertheless, I wonder how Alvin Wilcox would feel today knowing that he owned a similar mold when he died in 1862 that was valued at $10.00; although, Boyd Auctions sold the following mold last night for $852.50, which includes the ten-percent buyer's premium. This object would have also likely sold for more if it were not for some of the molds having been damaged and broken.

Note: Here is a link to the full report written in 1980 by George R. Hamell for Northeast Historical Archaeology, 'Earthenware and Salt-Glazed Stonewares of the Rochester-Genesee-Valley Region: An Overview.'

19th Century Candle Molds/Tubes Set in Wooden Frame

19th Century Red Earthenware 24 Tube Candle Mold in a Pine Wooden Frame

Attributed to the Alvin Wilcox Pottery in West Bloomfield, NY

Circa Late-1840s to Early-1860s

Sold $775 at the Podium

Sold for $852.50 Including the 10% Buyer's Premium

Photo Courtesy: Boyd Auctions - Eliot, ME

Another View of the 24 Tube Candle Mold

Photo Courtesy: Boyd Auctions - Eliot, ME

Another View of the 24 Tube Candle Mold

Photo Courtesy: Boyd Auctions - Eliot, ME

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