A Newly Discovered 19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl Recently Found in a Home in Somersworth, New Hampshire

A friend of mine, Pennsylvania antiques dealer, Greg Kramer has mentioned to me in recent memory the importance of a sale held in Pennsylvania in the 1990's that was established to sell the contents of the Snow Hill Nunnery in Quincy, Pennsylvania. Ultimately, the sale raised funds which helped repair the church of the German Seventh Day Baptist Society of Snow Hill. This sale featured an extremely rare set of forty red earthenware bowls that were commissioned by this religious group in the nineteenth-century from an important local potter's business - today, these plates are highly prized among collectors, dealers and museums - seldom, have any appeared in the public marketplace since the initial sale in 1997.

According to an article written by Lita Solis-Cohen for Maine Antique Digest in 1997, titled, 'Contents of Snow Hill Nunnery Bowls Them Over,'One of the most interesting sales this summer was held at the auction gallery of Horst Auction Center in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. The contents of the Snow Hill Nunnery were sold, which was a community founded in the eighteenth-century being a direct offshoot of the Ephratta Cloisters (religious community established in Ephratta, Pennsylvania in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel).

Clarence Spoon, who cataloged the sale, said, "The buildings, dating from 1814 through 1830 housed the celibate brothers and sisters and the married congregation. The last celibate died in 1896 and things remained untouched until now. It is a time capsule. Most of the furniture was made there in the cabinet shop, and everything is in as-found condition, much of it paint decorated."

Also according to Clarence Spoon, "There is an adult-sized cradle used for an elderly blind sister. Linens include homespun chaff bags and sheets and pillow covers with initials on them so the owners can be identified. Imagine finding forty matching slip-decorated redware serving bowls in fine condition probably made by the Bell family (John Bell) in (nearby) Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. Quincy is only a few miles from Waynesboro.

With the help of my sister-in-law, it took me from February (1997) until June (1997) to clean the mud wasps from the drawers of chests, remove bird dirt from the benches, and rescue a few rye straw baskets. Two groundhogs chewed the bottoms out of most of them. We dumped the chaff out of the bed ticks and discarded as many textiles as we saved because they had been gnawed on by rodents."

The collection of redware bowls which are presumed to have been made new for the Snow Hill Society did very-well. A small number of the bowls have sold again since this important sale achieving similar prices to what they brought in 1997.

"Forty redware bowls decorated with green and white flower-like slip stars sold for prices ranging from $5,500 to $15,500 (note: there was no buyer's premium charged for this sale) for a total of $345,000. The forty bowls accounted for more than 41% of the sale, which totaled $837,860.

Each of the Snow Hill bowls was decorated with a large six, seven, eight or nine-pointed white slip star or flower, each accented with three or four green slip lines. The stars were surrounded by one to four lines of green slip alternating with wavy lines of white slip. The bowls, which were probably made at the Bell family pottery in nearby Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, were used to serve stew during a ritual love feast by the German Seventh Day Baptist nuns and monks in the nineteenth-century. There were also several pieces of redware stamped by John Bell that were included in the sale."

19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Bowl Made for the Show Hill Society in Quincy, PA

Probably Made at John Bell's Pottery in Waynesboro, PA

This is One of the 40 Bowls that Sold Through Horst Auction Center in 1997

Stands 2 3/4" Tall

Measures 10 7/8" in Diameter

This Bowl Sold Again in 2012

Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook Auctions - Downington, PA

The reason I decided to write about these bowls tonight is the result of finding a bowl yesterday morning at Todd's Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Massachusetts that is decorated with a stamped eight-pointed star prominently placed in the center of the bowl - and, another (subtle) stamped six-pointed star is seen on the base of the bowl.

After briefly reviewing records in my library, my research - and, through past auction results - I found that any kind of star decoration on red earthenware is rather rare today whether it was applied in slip or by means of a stamp. Personally, I believe the red earthenware bowls made for the Snow Hill Society are probably the most important red earthenware objects known today from an American utilitarian red earthenware potter which are decorated with a star; although, there are other objects with similar decorations known today that include plates and jars.

I asked the Portland, Maine dealer at the flea market if he knew any history of the bowl or where he got it - he told me that it recently came from a home in Somersworth, New Hampshire, which is a few miles northwest of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Todd's Farm Flea Market - Sunday August 23, 2015

Todd's Farm Flea Market - Sunday August 23, 2015

Todd's Farm Flea Market - Sunday August 23, 2015

 

Todd's Farm Flea Market - Sunday August 23, 2015

I initially felt that based on the glaze alone that this bowl may have been made in Pennsylvania in the nineteenth-century; however, the stamps on the interior and the base may suggest otherwise seeing that it does remind me of some stamps that were used on a select group of red earthenware products that were made in eastern Tennessee before and after the American Civil War. For what it matters, I don't believe this bowl has any kind of connection to the New England potter's industry in the nineteenth-century.

This finely made small polychrome decorated bowl shows a combination of a green and orange glaze with black or manganese dots speckled throughout the glaze.

 19th Century Red Earthenware Bowl Decorated with a Star in the Center and on the Base

Probably Made in Pennsylvania

Circa 1840-1880

Stands 1 1/4" Tall

Measures 5 1/4" in Diameter

Purchased Yesterday at Todd's Farm Flea Market in Rowley, Mass.

Recently Discovered in a Home in Somersworth, NH

View of the Base

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

A Pair of Red Earthenware Discoveries Made Today While Picking My Way Through Maine

I went out picking with my niece, Alexis all-day today in Maine - we left my house in Newburyport, Massachusetts around 9:00 am - and, we traveled north to Arundel, Maine, Brunswick, Maine, Bath, Maine, Woolwich, Maine, Wiscasett, Maine, Hallowell, Maine and we ended in Fairfield, Maine before we drove back south - ultimately, ending the day in Scarborough, Maine. Naturally, my niece picked her share of Barbie Dolls; however, I also made a significant discovery today.

My Niece, Alexis with a Pair of Barbie Dolls She Found in Fairfield, Maine

Honestly, I was shocked when I came across these jugs sitting together in a glass case in an antique shop well-north of Portland, Maine this afternoon. I didn't ask the shop keeper for a history, but they were found in group shop. It wasn't a private dealer's shop. It was a regular antique shop. I was thrilled to find both of these objects for a fair price so I didn't press my luck with questions.

I believe this first jug was made at one of the potter's businesses that were employed in the nineteenth-century west of Portland. This jug stand under six-inches tall. It is decorated in a beautiful variegated green glaze. I have heard of similar forms called vinegar jugs; although, it would have really been used however the owner wished. It's unlikely, but this jug may have even been used as a vase at one time.

I have also heard of similar jugs attributed to the Webber Pottery in Alfred, Maine (including a related jug that sold at Skinner in Boston in 2006),  but I'm not positive of that attribution. Personally, I feel safer calling this jug a southern Maine product.

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Probably Made in Southern Maine

Circa 1840-1860

Stands 5 3/4" Tall

Discovered Today in a Shop North of Portland, ME

 Another View of the Jug

Another View of the Jug

This next jug is a significant discovery seeing that it is stamped 'John Safford 2D' - which, stands for John Safford II, who was a significant potter from a significant potter's family by today's standards from Monmouth, Maine. This jug probably dates from the 1840's period. It's a large jug standing nine-inches tall - and, decorated in a beautiful cream and apricot colored glaze. Rarely, are stamped products from the Safford family of Monmouth found today  (or, really any utilitarian red earthenware potter's business) - never-the-less, it is even rarer to find signed objects found on such nicely glazed forms. In recent years, I have seen signed unglazed crocks with the 'John Safford 2D' stamp sell for upwards of $600 or $700 in smaller auction settings.

This was a really good discovery today.

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Made by John Safford II in Monmouth, ME

Stamped 'John Safford 2D'

Circa 1820-1854

Stands 9" Tall

Discovered Today in a Shop North of Portland, ME

 A Closer View of the Jug

View of the Stamp 'John Safford 2D'

Please Stay Tuned…Much More to Come...

A Pair of 19th Century Southern Stoneware Face Jugs Made in South Carolina Coming to Auction this Fall

It's no surprise that more important nineteenth-century South Carolina-made stoneware face jugs have surfaced from private American collections in recent days - and weeks - especially, after seeing that the last example sold (last month) for a record-setting $80,000 at the podium - and, $92,000, overall, at checkout at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland. That small example stood only five-inches tall, but it was regarded as having been a very-rare small jug with wonderful characteristics that was manufactured in the Edgefield District of South Carolina, possibly by an African-American slave, in the 1860's.

Personally, I had expected that jug to do well; however, I was surprised when it almost reached the $100,000 mark after premiums. A major factor in the huge interest in these South Carolina-made face jugs is undoubtedly a result of the recent scholarship and archaeology given to these important objects that has been highlighted in recent years in Ceramics in America.

I am rather fascinated by one of the upcoming face jug styles seeing that it is in the form of a harvest jug, which would have typically been used by workers in fields. The jug would have normally been filled with water and then drank from when working in the hot farmland. Could this harvest jug have been used by African-American slaves for a such a purpose? I don't know for sure, but it is certainly a fascinating idea.

19th Century Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Face Jug - Edgefield District, SC

Circa 1860's

Stands 5" Tall

Sold for $92,000 (Including Premiums) on July 18, 2015 at Crocker Farm in Sparks, MD

Photo Courtesy: Dr. Corbett Toussaint

In recent weeks, Crocker Farm has publicly announced that two more prominent examples of stoneware face jugs (including the harvest jug previously mentioned) made in the Edgefield District of South Carolina in the 1860's will be included in the company's forthcoming October 17th sale. It is unclear whether these jugs were actually related to African-American slaves in this region or not; although, it is believed (known) that some of the face jugs made in the Edgefield District, were indeed, made by slave potters.

The first jug is described as a "fine alkaline glazed stoneware face jug produced in the Edgefield area of South Carolina in the 1860's. This recently-discovered example comes from a consignor in New York State - the jug includes a well-formed nose and it is potted in an unusual larger size."

19th Century Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Face Jug - Edgefield District, SC

Circa 1860's

Stands 7 5/8" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

View of One Side

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

View of the Handle

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

The second jug was recently announced via Crocker Farm's Facebook page, which the auction house describes as an "outstanding southern ceramics discovery. Furthermore, this very rare and important alkaline-glazed stoneware face harvest jug was made in the Edgefield District of South Carolina in the 1860's. It stands 9 3/8" tall. Arguably, it is the finest face jug to come to auction in years."

19th Century Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Face Harvest Jug - Edgefield District, SC

Circa 1860's

Stands 9 3/8" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Crocker Farm - Sparks, MD

As always - it will be interesting to see what these rare and equally important objects achieve in Maryland this fall. Will the previous record that was set in July hold strong - or, will either of these objects (or both) achieve a price that exceeds the impressive mark from July? I will write follow up reports for each of these objects after they sell in a few months.

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

A Newly Acquired Stoneware Crock and Its Relationship to the States Family of Connecticut in the 18th and 19th Centuries

The States name is an important family today in respect to Connecticut's stoneware industry in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries. The family had ties to both Greenwich, Connecticut and Stonington, Connecticut with even a connection to the overly important eighteenth-century Greenwich, Connecticut potter, Abraham Meade. The family is said to have had its clay imported from New York and New Jersey.

According to the Stonington, Connecticut Historical Society, "In 1778, Adam States II married Esther Noyes of Stonington and settled near Hinkley Hill in what is now Pawcutuck. In the years between then and his death in 1826, he built and operated a pottery works there - most likely with the help of his uncle, Peter States, his cousin William States, and his sons, Adam III, Ichabod and Gilbert. The few surviving pieces of this period are marked "A. States" or "A. States & Co.".

In 1811, William States established a new pottery works off "Shinebone Alley", which is at the end of what is now Wall Street in Stonington Borough. With the help of his cousin, Adam States III, he produced a wide variety until his death in 1823. These pieces are marked "W. States".

Upon William's death, the pottery business was taken over by Ichabod States and Joshua Swan. Financial problems ended their pottery production in 1834, but by then the mark "Swan & States, Stonington" was familiar all along the New England coast."

I was happy to obtain a large example of stoneware from the States family, which stands over thirteen-inches tall, through a friend of mine earlier this week. The following jar dates from the 1823-1834 production period in Stonington bearing the mark 'Swan & States / Stonington'. The jar was recently discovered at the flea market in Hollis, New Hampshire. What immediately attracted me to this jar was the form and size.

According to Lura Woodside Watkins book, 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares', "The Swan and States association continued for eleven-years. November 20, 1834, Ichabo States sold out to Joshua Swan for $1,125, and, he, in turn, ten-days later, disposed of one-half of the original land, wharf and works to Charles P. Williams, who was not a potter. It is possible that Swan continued to make stoneware for a time. If so, no piece with his mark alone has yet been found. The mark 'Swan & States / Stonington' is seen on the sherds at the point in Stonington and on occasional surviving pieces."

In retrospect, I don't know how rare this piece is today; however, auction results seem to be scarce. Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland, Christies in New York City, Nadeau's Auctions in Windsor, Connecticut - and, a few other auction houses in the past decade have handled a small number of objects associated to Stonington and the 1823-1834 period; although, overall the Stonington products seem to be a rare item to find today.

 19th Century Crock Made at the Swan & States Pottery in Stonington, CT

Marked 'Swan & States / Stonington'

Circa 1823-1834

Stands 13 1/2" Tall

Recently Discovered at the Hollis, NH Flea Market

 View of the 'Swan & States / Stonington' Mark

 View of One of the Handles

View of the Interior

The following maps show Stonington, Connecticut in respect to the Connecticut coastline, Rhode Island, Long Island - and, the location of the pottery on Stonington Point.

Map Shows Stonington, CT in Respect to the Rest of CT, Rhode Island and Long Island

Photo Courtesy: Google Maps

A Closer Look at Stonington, CT

Photo Courtesy: Google Maps

View of Stonington Point and the Location of the Pottery

Photo Courtesy: Stonington, CT Historical Society

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

Abner S. Wight: A Relatively Forgotten 19th Century Red Earthenware Potter from New Hampshire and Massachusetts

Recently, there was a discussion about the nineteenth-century New England potter, Abner S. Wight held on one of the social media platforms - the conversation revolved around an important red earthenware butter churn that was discovered on Cape Cod by antiques dealers, Paulette and Hilary Nolan years ago. The churn later sold to a private collector before it sold for nearly $15,000 at Northeast Auctions annual summer Americana sale in Manchester, New Hampshire nearly ten-years ago. The churn now resides in an important midwestern collection.

What made this churn so important is the inscription, "Abner S. Wight, Earthenware Manufacturer, Marlboro, New Hampshire June 23, 1847." This description is easily seen placed prominently across the churn just below the glaze line. Generally, Wight's work is rather unknown today. I thought tonight would be a good opportunity to discuss how some of his surviving output appears today.

 19th Century Red Earthenware Butter Churn Produced by Abner S. Wight

Made in Marlboro, NH with an Important Inscription

"Abner S. Wight, Earthenware Manufacturer, Marlboro, New Hampshire June 23, 1847"

Stands Roughly 15" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Northeast Auctions - Portsmouth, NH

Another View of the Churn

Photo Courtesy: Northeast Auctions - Portsmouth, NH

Soon after Wight produced this butter churn, he appeared in West Sterling, Massachusetts in the 1850's which is in the central section of the state. The difference between Marlboro, New Hampshire and West Sterling, Massachusetts is roughly forty-miles.

Map Shows Difference Between Marlboro, NH and West Sterling, MA

The Difference is Roughly 40 Miles

Photo Courtesy: MapQuest

There's not really a lot of published material that defines Wight's work in either New Hampshire or Massachusetts today. He is nearly a forgotten potter; although, he did sign some of his pottery which helps properly attribute a group of his red earthenware today. 

In general, all of the objects shown in this report are rare. From what I have studied - all of the objects that I know of today that were produced by Wight lack any kind of footed base. The general idea behind the churn's form made in New Hamsphire can be seen in each of the following examples that were made in Massachusetts. Most of the Massachusetts objects shown below are glazed in a deep maroon color with the exception of one jar; although it conforms with certain characteristics seen on the other jars.

The attributions on each of these objects shown below (besides the stamped jar) are created from the forms, clay color, wire cut bases, glaze color and artifacts recovered at Wight's Pottery in West Sterling. Generally, all of these objects date in the late-1850's and the early-1860's period.

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Made by Abner S. Wight in West Sterling, MA

The Jar is Stamped 'A.S. Wight'

Circa Late-1850's or Early-1860's

Stands 9 1/4" Tall

 Close Up of the A.S. Wight Stamp

  19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Made by Abner S. Wight in West Sterling, MA

The Form Matches the Signed Jar

Circa Late-1850's or Early-1860's

Stands 8 7/8" Tall

 View of the Handle

  19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Made by Abner S. Wight in West Sterling, MA

The Glaze and Clay Color Matches the Jars Above

Circa Late-1850's or Early-1860's

Stands 5 7/8"" Tall

  19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Made by Abner S. Wight in West Sterling, MA

The Form, Clay Color, Lack of Foot and the Wire Cut Base is Related to the Objects Above

Circa Late-1850's or Early-1860's

Stands 7 5/8" Tall

Collection of 19th Century Red Earthenware Miniatures Made at the Abner S. Wight Pottery

The Smallest Jug was Recovered at the Site of Wight's Pottery in West Sterling, MA

The Glazes All Match the Maroon Color Seen on the Jars Above

Circa Late-1850's or Early-1860's

(Left) Stands 2 3/8" Tall

(Middle) Stands 2 1/2" Tall

(Right) Stands 2 1/8" Tall

Please Stay Tuned…Much More to Come...

A Monumental-Sized Stoneware Garden Urn Scheduled to Sell in Maine Later This Month

In recent months, I have attempted to examine the importance of the rare stoneware products produced by the Portland Stoneware Company in Portland, Maine in the nineteenth-century. The wares that I have given the most interest towards were the garden and decorative products, but the business also made drain pipe among other products. I feel this is a very-important company to understand today given the kind of stoneware products that were produced after 1870, but also for a comparison of what else was happening with the New England potter's industry in the final decades of the 1800's. Before I show the product of discussion today - I wanted to quickly rehash part of an article that was written about the Portland Stoneware Company about a month ago.

The following citation is a very-interesting first-hand account that characterizes the birth of this business drawn from the book, 'Brick and Clay: Volumes 6 and 7,' which was published in 1897: "The extensive plant of the Portland, Maine Stoneware Works, are a monument not only to its builders, but likewise represent an interesting history in the development and manufacture of many articles made from clay. A writer from the Portland (Maine) Argus, reminisces recently as follows:

The passing away of Mr. John T. Winslow (stoneware potter in Portland who died in 1881), of Deering (Cumberland County, Maine), takes me back to my boyhood days when the old pottery from which the present extensive stoneware works started, was a pleasant rendezvous. In memory, I see the large two-story building with its huge square kilns, the roaring wood fires in which made the pottery a cheerful place for young and old to assemble on cold winter evenings. Those were merry times and many are the happily remembered faces that pass in review as I conjure up the congenial spirits that would gather around the clay ovens. I occasionally wonder how the world has used the good fellows who were members of that story-telling, fun-loving circle. Some I know have passed into eternity, several I see now and then hereabouts, while most of them have drifted away, their fate and fortune unknown.

At that time the present head of the Portland Stoneware Works was superintendent of that pottery for his father, and he doubtless has in his possession a fine gold watch and chain as evidence of his popularity with the workmen who all knew him as "Ed," as in the fact did everyone who was favored with the acquaintance of the genial and hustling overseer of the modest plant which he was even then scheming to develop into the large and flouring industry of today. He saw the opportunity for something more pretentious than the manufacturing of pots and jugs, and the purpose to achieve that end once formed, there was no such thing as failure for a man possessed of such rare business capacity and tireless energy.

I well remember how the wise acres shook their heads deprecatingly when the young man began his experiments in the making of drain pipe. Nor have I forgotten the not altogether satisfactory results before the proper combinations of clays and glazing were struck; not how the before-mentioned old fashioned fellows would exchange their "I told you so" after each new trial ended unsatisfactorily. But pluck and brains won a victory after awhile, and one day a lot of pipe came from the oven done to a turn. From that time the old pottery began to assume new life. The knowledge of the superiority of the Winlsow drain pipe extended day by day and orders steadily increased. So rapidly did the business grow in fact that it was not long before the manufacture of pottery became an insignificant side issue, to be shortly abandoned altogether. In the meantime, a fine quality of fire brick had become a part of the product, as well as terra-cotta ware. These innovations necessitated extensions of the plant from time to time, and even with the two immense shops and the labyrinth of kilns now constituting the Portland Stoneware Company's Works, in the busy season the facilities are found inadequate. In fact, it is often the case when the pipes have to be shipped almost "piping hot." It is still known among the "old boys" as the pottery, but there is little indeed to remind one of the place as it was a quarter of a century or more ago."

Aside from the industrial wares (and decorative wares), the Portland Stoneware Company also produced a wide array of garden products that were intended for a formal garden in the late-1800's, some of-which, were monumental in size. Many of these wares were inspired after ancient-style forms

The following monumental sized stoneware garden urn is scheduled to sell through Thomaston Place Auctions in Thomaston, Maine on August 30th. Ironically, this is the same auction house that sold an important black-glazed red earthenware face jug earlier this year that has received quite a bit of attention since.

The auctioneer describes this object as a "monumental stoneware garden urn in a two part classical style made at the Portland Stoneware Company. The urn is decorated with a large petal-like rim decoration and a fully dimensional calla lily. The matching pedestal is decorated with decorative wreathes on all four sides."

The urn has also been painted white, which I believe is original. In my travels and studies, I have seen some products related to this business that have also been painted. There isn't a lot of paint that remains today on this urn, but the paint remains do give an idea of how this urn originally appeared.

Unfortunately, I won't partake in the bidding on this object since it is too big for my home; however, it would make for a dramatic form of decoration that could be used year round by anyone who has the space in their home.

The auction house gives what I believe is a modest $600-$800 estimate; although, I assume it will sell for more money than the pre-auction estimate.

Late-19th Century Monumental-Sized Painted Stoneware Garden Urn

Produced at the Portland Stoneware Company in Portland, ME

 Circa 1880's or 1890's

Stands 48" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Thomaston Place Auction Galleries - Thomaston, ME

 Another View of the Urn

Photo Courtesy: Thomaston Place Auction Galleries - Thomaston, ME

 View of the Rim

Photo Courtesy: Thomaston Place Auction Galleries - Thomaston, ME

 

 View of the Calla Lily Decoration

Photo Courtesy: Thomaston Place Auction Galleries - Thomaston, ME

 View of the Calla Lily Decoration

Photo Courtesy: Thomaston Place Auction Galleries - Thomaston, ME

View of the Base and the Wreath Decoration

Photo Courtesy: Thomaston Place Auction Galleries - Thomaston, ME

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

An Interesting Red Earthenware Pot Discovered Today in Essex, Massachusetts

While out picking this afternoon in Essex, Massachusetts - I came across a utilitarian red earthenware crock in a junk shop. The dealer told me it was found in a local home. Visually, the pot is nothing special. It's a pot that was used in the kitchen to prepare food. It's as simple as that.

In the case of this pot, the potter had no desire to make this object appear anymore than it was intended to be used for - and, the person who used it, probably purchased it with the intent that it was going to be used as an everyday object in the kitchen.

What really caught my eye about this object is how black the exterior appears - there's no doubt that his pot has been used. I don't believe I have ever seen a pot this blackened on the exterior before; although, the interior glaze has no issues. It's merely speculation (on my behalf) for what this pot was used for, but I believe it may have been used for cooking or heating a liquid rather than baking food. The interior glaze is too clean to believe it was used for baking; although, it would make sense if it was used for a liquid seeing how clean the interior remains today. The blackened exterior was likely caused from its constant use over an open flame day-after-day.

I have seen similar formed red earthenware crocks in a late-eighteenth-century archaeological context at the Narbonne House in Salem, Massachusetts. Those pots were uncovered from privies in the backyard of the home which was a middle-class occupancy located on Salem's waterfront. All of those pots are believed to be examples of locally produced pottery.

Personally, I believe the crock that I found today is an eighteenth-century product that was manufactured at one of the potteries in Peabody (formerly South Danvers), Massachusetts or elsewhere in Essex County, Massachusetts. The interior glaze conforms with glazes that are found on eighteenth-century products properly attributed to Peabody today.

Aesthetically, red earthenware is really a beautiful craft that was accomplished by urban and country craftsmen, alike - and, forms and colors are usually the standout features that collectors and museums cherish most today. However, the stories that this pot could tell fascinate me equally. Imagine how this pot was used over the years - think about the conversations it may have witnessed. This history can be seen today by the overly-blackened exterior. For this reason, I could not let this pot remain in this shop for only $15.

 Late-18th Century Red Earthenware Crock or Pot Probably Made in Essex County, Mass.

Circa 1770-1810

Stands 6 7/8" Tall

Base Measures 8 1/8" in Diameter

Found in a Shop in Essex, Mass. Today

Recently Found in a Home in Essex County, Mass.

 Another View of the Pot

 View of the Base

View of the Interior

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