A 19th Century Red Earthenware Vase with a Bust of George Washington Likely Made in Beverly, Massachusetts

The nineteenth-century red earthenware vase made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts (circa 1872), which I acquired from an art collector yesterday in Hallowell, Maine has helped likely confirm my suspicions about another object that I own.

A few years ago, I acquired a small red earthenware vase with a hand painted bust of George Washington, two crossed cannons, a cannon ball - and, the years 1776 and 1876 marking the centennial. I had always felt that this object was a Beverly-made vase; however, I never had any actual proof.

Nevertheless, the marked vase that I acquired yesterday has likely confirmed the attribution since it exhibits a similar polished clay texture, a similar paint color and a matching interior glaze.

Note: The leaf decoration around the edge of the small vase is also a Grecian-style, which would keep this vase in line with the other Grecian-type products that were produced in Beverly in the 1870's.

(Right) Vase that was Acquired Yesterday, Which was Made in Beverly, Mass.

(Left) Small 19th Century Red Earthenware Vase

Likely Made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Likely Painted by the Artist, Thomas Pitman From Marblehead, Mass.

Decorated with a Bust of George Washington, Two Cannons and a Cannon

Also Dated 1776 / 1876

Likely Made for the Centennial

Circa 1876

 Stands 5 7/8" Tall

 View of the Painted '1776'

 View of the Painted Bust of George Washington, Two Crossed Cannons and a Cannon Ball

 View of the Painted '1876'

View of the Similar Glazed Interiors

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

A Very Important Example of Essex County, Massachusetts Pottery Acquired Yesterday in Hallowell, Maine

It would be impossible to write today's article if it were not for Maine antiques collector, Christopher Havey, who recently identified an extremely important example of Essex County, Massachusetts red earthenware. Understandably, I would like to publicly thank him for creating the opportunity to privately acquire this museum-quality piece of pottery.

According to the book, 'In Pursuit of Beauty: Americans and the Aesthetic Movement,' "Facsimiles of Greek terra-cotta vessels were some of the earliest artistic ceramics produced in America. The first known reference to an 'artware line' appeared in 1872, when the 'Beverly Pottery at the request of Boston ladies began to copy beautiful forms of ancient vases to order.' Charles A. Lawrence, the superintendent of that Massachusetts factory, intentionally limited his production of imitation Greek pottery, for he feared that if it became common it would depreciate in value. He therefore sold it only in small lots to his 'artistic' friends for their own private collections."

Yesterday, I drove to Hallowell, Maine with Chris to an art collectors house, who had purchased a large hand-painted Grecian-style red earthenware vase in the 1980's, which was manufactured at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery (circa 1866-1906) in Beverly, Massachusetts.

To my knowledge, this vase has never been offered publicly before - and basically, this is the first time that this object has been presented to an audience.

The art collector, who I am not going to name, acquired this piece decades ago privately from a dealer in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Presumably, the dealer also found it locally since the C.A. Lawrence Pottery was located only a few miles away.

However, what makes this object so important is the fact that it was stamped TWICE on the base, "FROM / C.A. LAWRENCE / MANUCTURERS OF ALL KINDS OF / EARTHEN WARE / BEVERLY, MASS."

This mark is incredible since it is the only known example of an impressed stamp applied on any form of Beverly pottery, which survives today. This also may have been an advertising piece, as well.

Nevertheless, there is another marked object known from the C.A. Lawrence Pottery, (see below) which is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Although, the museum's object is marked with an ink stamp, "BEVERLY POTTERY / C.A. LAWRENCE / ANTIQUARIAN / CERAMICS / BEVERLY, MASS."

But I believe the museum's piece could be from twenty-or-more years later since the information on the stamp compares to late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century advertising, where it mentions the reproduction of antique (or antiquarian) pottery.

I gathered the following information from period advertising, which was published in the Beverly City Directory in the 1890's, "BEVERLY POTTERY / C.A. LAWRENCE / MANUFACTURER OF ALL KINDS OF EARTHEN WARE, / A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF / ANTIQUE POTTERY / on hand, and special attention given to the reproduction of / ANCIENT POTTERY, / either from the originals, or from photographs, wood-cuts or drawings."

 C.A. Lawrence Pottery Advertisement from the 1890's

Photo Courtesy: North Shore of Massachusetts Bay, Hill & Nevins, 2008

C.A. Lawrence Pottery Advertisement from 1903

Photo Courtesy: Beverly City Directory

According to the book, 'North Shore of Massachusetts Bay: An Illustrated Guide and History,' "The art connoisseurs who visit Cape Ann will find in Beverly one of the most attractive institutions that the country affords, in the works of the Beverly pottery. Here they will see accurate reproductions of all the best specimens of ancient pottery, literal copies of some of the finest pieces now in the old world art museums...Mr. Charles A. Lawrence established the present pottery in continuation of those previously here (established 1701), and has worked out great improvements in the kind of work in many convenient and curious devices, attaining a large sale, and many visitors come to see and purchase the curious specimens of clay handiwork they made."

The Old C.A. Lawrence Pottery Building in the 1890's

Photo Courtesy: Images of America: Beverly Revisited, Arcadia Publishing, 2012

Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins wrote in 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares,' "The Lawrence pottery in Beverly is still remembered by older persons (in 1950). Founded in 1866 by Charles A. Lawrence, a Portuguese immigrant, whose real name was Solares, it was manned by a group of skilled workmen who had been apprentices or employees of Joseph Reed at the Osborn-Paige pottery in Peabody, Massachusetts. Among these men were Benjamin Stevens and Amos P. Bodge. Edwin A. Rich, who had come to the Paige pottery after working in Keene, New Hampshire, and various places in the west, went to work for Charles A. Lawrence in 1887, remaining with him as one of his most skillful turners until Lawrence's death and the close of the enterprise in 1906. Thomas Pitman of Marblehead was employed at Beverly as a decorator…During the sixties Lawrence produced the familiar types of redware. His output looks much older in style than it really is. It is (often) brushed with white and green slips, which contrast agreeably with the brownish-red background. A decade later the concern was making terra cotta and decorated wares in the taste of the period. Vases of classic design were turned for home embellishment. It is said that Rich's talent for creating beautiful forms led to much experimentation and to the commercial expansion of the pottery…After 1900 they advertised flowerpots, antique pottery, and roasting pans and were wholesale dealers in stoneware, Rockingham, and yellow wares, glassware, and drain pipe."

The fact that the stamp on the vase, which I acquired yesterday only mentions "EARTHEN WARE" certainly suggests that this object is from an earlier period of production. It also suggests that this vase likely dates from around the 1872 period for when these type of objects were in limited production in Beverly. But this is also the only known example of Beverly pottery, which survives today that is marked with such a stamp. These facts suggest (to me) that this is an extremely important piece of Essex County, Massachusetts pottery, which not only marked a transition period in production for Charles A. Lawrence's business, but it also marked a period of change for how the American potter's industry eventually took notice of the aesthetics movement, as well. This vase was likely at the forefront of that movement!

Note: There are very few examples of red earthenware associated with C.A. Lawrence's antique pottery production that survive today. Personally, I know of less than ten pieces in existence, but I am sure there are more out there. This newly discovered vase also confirms much of the research, which I have conducted around this business over the past five years. 

Similar ancient styles of pottery were made by the Robertson family in Chelsea, Massachusetts, the Clark family in Concord, New Hampshire and in Maine in the 1870's, as well; however, Charles A. Lawrence's production was reportedly the first for a red earthenware (and stoneware) potter in America.

For more information about the C.A. Lawrence Pottery: Here is a link to an article that I wrote for the New England Antiques Journal in January 2014.

 19th Century Grecian-Style Red Earthenware Vase

Made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery - Beverly, Mass.

Marked Twice on the Base

Painted by the Artist, Thomas Pitman of Marblehead, Mass.

Circa 1872

Stands 12" Tall

Acquired Yesterday from an Art Collector in Hallowell, Maine

Reportedly Found in Gloucester, Mass. in the 1980's

View of the Interior

View of the Base with the Two Impressed Stamps

This is the Only Object Known Today with this Stamp

A Closer View of One Stamp

Metropolitan Museum of Art

 19th Century Grecian-Style Red Earthenware Jug or Vase

Made at the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery - Beverly, Mass.

Marked on the Base

Painted by the Artist, Thomas Pitman of Marblehead, Mass.

Circa 1880-1905

Stands 12" Tall

 Photo Courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City

View of the Ink Stamp

This is the Only Object Know Today with this Stamp

Photo Courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City

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

A Rare 19th Century Red Earthenware Ram that was Discovered a Few Years Ago in Brimfield, Massachusetts

A few years ago, I discovered an unusual nineteenth-century red earthenware figure in the form of a ram with a bowl on its back in one of the fields at the antique shows in Brimfield, Massachusetts. The dealer told me that he found it during a house clean out in Connecticut. I asked if he knew any further information (i.e. country of origin, age, maker, etc.) about the object, but he said all he knew about the figure was the location that it was found.

I have never been fully confident to say where this object was made outside of an American-made product, but someone did suggest (to me) soon after I discovered it that it may have been produced in Pennsylvania during the second-half of the nineteenth-century. This also must have been an 'end-of-the-day' type object since it does not appear like it would have been an object that was regularly produced as part of a potter's traditional output.

Nevertheless, I recently visited an antique show in Union, Maine, where an antiques dealer had brought a small late-nineteenth-century sewer tile dog to the show, which was decorated with a similar bowl on its back. Presumably, these bowls may have been used as a salt, but there could have been other uses, as well.

The dealer told me that she thought the sewer tile dog was likely made in Ohio; although, she said that it could have been produced in western Pennsylvania or somewhere else in the Midwest, too.

Based on the form (the bowl) of the sewer tile dog, I would like to believe that both of the following objects are related by location, which may include a certain region (i.e. Mid-Atlantic or Midwest) or a specific state, such as an Ohio or western Pennsylvania manufacturer.

Sewer Tile Dog with Bowl

Late-19th Century Sewer Tile Dog with a Bowl on Its Back

The Bowl is Similar to the Bowl Seen on the on the Red Earthenware Ram Below

Possibly Made in Western PA, Ohio or Another Midwestern State

Circa 1870-1910

Photo Courtesy: Private Antiques Dealer

Red Earthenware Ram with Bowl

 Late-19th Century Red Earthenware Ram with Bowl on its Back

The Bowl is Similar to the Bowl Seen on the Sewer Tile Dog Above

Possibly Made in Western PA, Ohio or Another Midwestern State

Circa 1860-1890

Stands 4 1/4" Tall

Measures 3 5/8" Long
Found a Few Years Ago in Brimfield, MA
Reportedly Found During a House Clean Out in Connecticut

Another View of the Ram

 View of the Ram's Face

Another View of the Ram's Face

 View of the Ram's Behind

View of the Bowl

 View of the Interior of the Bowl

Another View of the Ram

 View of the Base

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

A Beautifully Glazed Red Earthenware Vase Recently Discovered in a Shop in Newburyport, Massachusetts

I recently found a beautifully glazed red earthenware vase sitting in a vintage shop on the waterfront in downtown Newburyport, Massachusetts. On first sight, I thought this object may have been made at the Merrimac Pottery Company, circa 1897-1908. The vase was unmarked, although, I had thought that it may have been originally decorated with a paper label, which many of the Merrimac wares were marked with in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-centuries (note: the company also used an impressed sturgeon with the word 'MERRIMAC' to mark its products). Understandably, many of those paper labels fell off years ago leaving a number of objects unmarked today.

The vase that I found is also decorated in what I believe is a matte glaze, which is a rare style of glaze found on some Merrimac Pottery products, which survive today. However, the majority of the known matte glazed objects are decorated in a single color - and, the vase that I found is decorated in three (maybe four) different colors on the exterior and interior.

Truthfully, I was a little confused when I first inspected this vase as-a-result of the lighting in the shop, which was not well-lit - the dark lighting made the interior appear like it was not glazed. Accordingly, the vase also appeared like it was manufactured with a light colored clay, which is an uncommon feature for the Merrimac Pottery. But I could clearly see that my initial feeling was incorrect when I brought the vase out into the bright afternoon sunlight, and I discovered that the interior of the vase was actually covered in a pink or rose colored glaze.

For a comparison, I have shown below the vase that I discovered in Newburyport, and I have also shown two rose-colored vases as-well-as a group of matte glazed vases from the Merrimac Pottery.

Note: According to the webiste, 'Art Pottery,' "The Merrimac Ceramic Company was founded in 1897 by Thomas S. Nickerson. The pottery was located in Newburyport, Massachusetts. When it first started, Merrimac only made utilitarian pottery, such as cheap drainpipes, tiles and floral containers. 

In 1902, the Merrimac Ceramic Company reorganized as the Merrimac Pottery Company, and at that time Nickerson decided to try and cash in on the Arts and Crafts Pottery movement. Nickerson had previously studied glazes and colors in London under Sir William Crookes, so he was well suited for the job. 

In fact, it was Nickerson's experimentation with glazes that ended up producing some of the best Merrimac Pottery. He ended up producing color glazes in purple, blue, orange, yellow, black, red, rose, grape, violent, and of course, green.

Nickerson sold the Merrimac Pottery in 1908 - and, later that year a fire destroyed the building and a few months later the new owner, Frank Bray, had a liquidation sale. That marked the end of the Merrimac Pottery."

Vase Found in Newburyport, Mass.

Possibly Merrimac Pottery Company Red Earthenware Jar - Newburyport, MA

Found in Newburyport, MA

Exterior Glazed with Three Different Glaze Colors

The Glaze Style Appears Like the Matte Glazes that were Used by the Merrimac Pottery Company

Possibly Circa 1902-1908

Stands 10 3/4" Tall

View of the Pink or Rose Glazed Interior

View of the Base

Rose Colored Glaze

Merrimac Pottery Vases Decorated in a Rose-Colored Glaze - Newburyport, Mass.

Circa 1905

(Left) Stands 7 1/4" Tall

(Right) Stands 7 1/2" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Rago Fine Arts - Lambertville, NJ

Matte Colored Glazes

Merrimac Pottery Company Vase Decorated in a Matte Blue-Gray Glaze - Newburyport, Mass.

Circa 1902-1908

Stands 4 1/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Rago Fine Arts - Lambertville, NJ

Merrimac Pottery Company Vase Decorated in a Matte Indigo Glaze - Newburyport, Mass.

Circa 1902-1908

Stands 5 1/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Rago Fine Arts - Lambertville, NJ

Merrimac Pottery Company Vase Decorated in a Matte Green Glaze - Newburyport, Mass.

Circa 1902-1908

Stands 4 1/2" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Rago Fine Arts - Lambertville, NJ

Merrimac Pottery Company Pitcher Decorated in a Matte Green Glaze - Newburyport, Mass.

Circa 1902-1908

Stands 8 1/4" Tall

Photo Courtesy: Rago Fine Arts - Lambertville, NJ

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

William Pecker: An Early 19th Century Manhattan Potter?

This morning, I was very surprised when I saw a familiar name briefly listed in William Ketchum, Jr.'s book, 'Potters and Potteries of New York State, 1650-1900.' I have no proof if this is the same Massachusetts potter named William Pecker (1758-1820), who was active in Merrimacport (formerly West Amesbury), Massachusetts, circa 1784-1820; however, the same name is also listed as some type of Manhattan potter from 1802-1807. Presumably, this is also a stoneware potter named 'William Pecker' since Manhattan was the location of an important stoneware industry during the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries.

Ketchum also suggested that this individual may have been a son with the same birth name, but that is not the case. William Pecker never named a son with the same name - and, the only known family member, who became active in the potter's business directly with William Pecker was his nephew, James Chase (1779-1849).

This could be a fascinating development, which may provide a better understanding about the limited stoneware production that is known from Pecker today. Personally, I have recovered a large amount of wasters, sherds, saggers and kiln furniture in Merrimacport, but there are only an estimated seven or eight intact examples known today stamped with Pecker's name.

I have written in the past how Pecker may have been influenced by the potters, Frederick Carpenter and Jonathan Fenton in Charlestown, Massachusetts in the 1790's; however, I am now curious to learn if Pecker could have also possessed a New York City stoneware influence, as well.

Note: The facts are the facts. William Pecker was a traditional red earthenware potter, who decided to produce some stoneware at a point in his career. But the skill and kiln requirements that are needed to properly produce stoneware are different from what is needed for red earthenware production. Ultimately, Pecker had to initially learn how to produce stoneware somewhere or from another stoneware potter.

 Potters and Potteries of New York State, 1650-1900

William Ketchum, Jr., Syracuse University Press, 1987

Potter Named William Pecker Listed as a Potter in Manhattan During the Circa 1802-1807 Period

Incised Bird Stoneware Sherd with Cobalt Decoration Made by William Pecker

Recovered in Merrimacport, Mass.

Circa 1790-1820

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

A Brightly Glazed Early-to-Mid 19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher from Western New York

I recently acquired a nineteenth-century red earthenware pitcher that was likely made in western New York; however, the possible attribution is what makes this object so fascinating (to me). The main reason 'why' I obtained this piece is a result of the form resembling another pitcher that I own, which was made by Nathaniel Rochester in Ontario County, New York before 1832.

The forms are nearly a mirror image of each other - the bases are almost an identical match, the ovoid shapes are very close, and the unusual rims are an identical match. The only difference that I can see is found in the handles, where one handle was press-molded and the other handle was pulled by hand; although, this difference is merely a result of how each handle was produced.

I can not speak for Nathaniel Rochester in this case, but I have seen New England potters produce handles in multiple styles.

For example, William Pecker produced handles that were hand-pulled and press-molded in Merrimacport, Massachusetts before 1820. The potters in Peabody, Massachusetts are also known to have produced handles with multiple production styles. Fundamentally, it does not necessarily mean that a potter has to be held to a single production standard today.

Nevertheless, I am still in the process of learning the specifics about certain potter's businesses in western New York, but this pitcher could be an undocumented style of handle from Nathaniel Rochester. However, it may also be a product from another potter, who may have been directly influenced by Rochester or employed near the Rochester Pottery in the early-to-mid nineteenth-century.

(Left) Western New York Red Earthenware Pitcher

Exhibits Many Characteristics of Pitchers Made by Nathaniel Rochester in Western New York

Stands 6 1/2" Tall

(Right) Nathaniel Rochester Red Earthenware Pitcher - Ontario County, NY

Circa 1818-1831

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

 Another View of the Pitchers

 View of the Handles

(Left) Handle Pulled by Hand

(Right) Handle was Press Molded

View of the Interiors and the Shape of the Pitchers

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

A Remarkable Red Earthenware Figure Recently Purchased in Pennsylvania

I recently visited a wonderful home owned by Robesonia, Pennsylvania antiques dealer, Greg Kramer. The property is packed with antiques. However, I will tell more about this visit at a later time.

Today, I would like to show this wonderful late-nineteenth-century figure of what appears to be a hobo playing a tambourine. He certainly looks like a 'Tambourine Man.' This object is entirely hand-modeled. It is also in wonderful condition exhibiting only a few small 'flea bite' sized chips. The potter is unknown; although, Greg did say that he found this object in Pennsylvania years ago. He also said that he has never taken it out of his house to sell before.

When I visited, this object was tucked inside a huge cupboard in Greg's house, which was filled with a large variety of mostly Pennsylvania-made red earthenware. This object really struck me as an unusual, but highly detailed, as well. 

I also feel that there is an argument that could be made to suggest that this is a Pennsylvania-made object since there are traces of slip on the base, which indicates that this was a figure made by a potter who worked with slip-decoration.  It is important to note that Pennsylvania was also one of the few locations in America, where potters still applied slip-decoration in the late-nineteenth-century.

Note: These pictures were taken with a camera flash - the object actually appears a little darker in-hand.

 Late-19th Century Hand-Modeled Figure of What Appears to be a Hobo Playing a Tambourine

Found Years Ago in Pennsylvania

May Have Been Made in Pennsylvania Based on the Traces of Slip-Decoration that are on the Base

 The Figure Stands 7 7/8" Tall

View of One Side

 View of the Other Side

 View of the Back

View of the Base

Traces of Slip-Decoration Can Be Seen on the Base

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