New Acquisition: A Very Large Red Earthenware Pitcher Probably Southern in Origin

I will post better pictures once it arrives, but this is a very large heavy nineteenth century red earthewnare pitcher that I purchased online last night, which I believe is southern in origin. I was told it was recently purchased at an auction in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, although, it does not strike me as being a piece of Pennsylvania pottery - or even a piece made to the north or west of Pennsylvania.

Instead the form, especially the ribbed handle and three finger impressions found on the handle terminal are more like southern pottery that I have seen. In fact, this may even be a rare piece of Great Road pottery from southwest Virginia and east Tennessee. I will get a better feeling for its origin once I have it in hand next week.

The glaze is also interesting showing separation, which is also found on pottery manufactured in Rockingham and Shenandoah County in Virginia, circa 1850-1880. I have been told the glaze appears black in some areas, while in other areas it appears to be a dark green. The pitcher stands thirteen-and-a-half inches tall and weighs nearly nine pounds.

A Very Large Red Earthenware Pitcher Probably Southern in Origin

19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Possibly Made in Virginia or Tennessee

Recently Discovered at an Auction in Harrisburg, PA

Stands 13 1/2" Tall

Weighs Nearly 9 Pounds

Some Areas the Glaze Appears Black While in Others in Appears to be Dark Green

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Another View of the Pitcher

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Another View of the Pitcher

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View of Ribbed Handle

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Another View of the Handle

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View of the Ribbed Handle

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View of the Three Finger Impressions on the Handle Terminal

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View of the Footed Base

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View of the Base

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

Collection of English Pottery Sells at Brunk Auctions in North Carolina

Earlier this month, Brunk Auctions in Asheville, North Carolina  sold some excellent examples of English pottery, some of which is represented in American archaeological collections today. The sale included various types of stoneware, although, my personal favorite was lot number 370, which consisted of two examples of English slipware. 

Both pieces were accompanied with strong provenances, with the pitcher having previously sold in the Rous Lench Collection at Christies in London in 1980, while the lidded pot was formerly owned by Garry Atkins and Roger Bacon. 

Interestingly, though, it was the pot's cover that really caught my attention, seeing that a very similar cover was recovered by archaeologists from a pre-1742 archaeological context at Faneuil Hall in Boston. This earthenware cover has also been published in my book, The Dawn of Independence, the Death of an Industry: The Pottery of Charlestown, Massachusetts. 

Note: This type of English slipware has been recovered from Colonial archaeological contexts all over the American eastern seaboard, as well as Canada.

18th Century English Slipware

18th Century English Slipware

Lidded Pot Stands 3" Tall with the Cover

Pitcher Stands 3 1/2" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Brunk Auctions

(Right) Cover Recovered from a Pre-1742 Archaeological Context at Faneuil Hall in Boston

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Photo Courtesy: City of Boston Archaeology Program

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Excellent 19th Century Whitewater, Wisconsin Red Earthenware Jar Sells at Pook and Pook's Online Sale in Pennsylvania

An excellent example of nineteenth century pottery manufactured in Whitewater, Wisconsin sold yesterday at Pook & Pook, Inc.'s online only decorative arts sale in Downington, Pennsylvania. Decorated with a bold tulip, the jar sold in a group lot of five items for $935.

Interestingly, I wrote about red earthenware production in Wisconsin last fall, noting that it is a subject that deserves much more attention today. As part of the articles, I posted a story about the wares made in Whitewater, which read in part: "Between 1845 and 1882, the city of Whitewater was home to five potteries operated by both German immigrants and settlers from New England and New York. The Whitewater potteries supplied settlers in the region with a wide variety of utilitarian forms. And by about 1867, the Whitewater potteries transitioned from the production of glazed utilitarian wares to flowerpots and vases. Much of this production is underappreciated today outside of the Midwest region, even though it should be recognized on a national level by collectors and major national art museums."

The large jar that sold in Pennsylvania yesterday happens to be decorated in a style often found with some of the Whitewater potteries, adorned on one side with a tulip. Many of the wares made in Whitewater decorated with tulips are also attributed to Michael Ohnhaus and John Milz, circa 1859-1865.

19th  Century Whitewater, Wisconsin Red Earthenware Jar

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Attributed to Whitewater, WI

Perhaps Made by Michael Ohnhaus or John Milz 

Likely Circa 1859-1865

Stands 9 3/4" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook, Inc.

View of the Base

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Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook, Inc.

Group Lot Sold at Pook & Pook in Downington, Pennsylvania

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Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook, Inc.

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Looking for ID Help: An Earthenware Jar Found Years Ago in Haverhill, Massachusetts

I'm looking for any help in identifying this nineteenth or twentieth century earthenware pot with a purple glaze and its original lid. I have never been able to determine where this piece was made, although, I feel it is most likely North American (United States or Canada). 

My niece Alexis and I found it years ago in a junk shop in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is actually the first piece of pottery that she asked if she could keep, largely because of the highly unusual glaze. 

The form is similar to some stoneware jars manufactured in America in the 1800s, but the handles closely resemble some nineteenth century red earthenware handles manufactured along the Great Road in southwest Virginia and east Tennessee. Nevertheless, I'm stumped on this piece - Does anyone have any idea where it might have been made?

An Earthenware Jar Found Years Ago in Haverhill, Massachusetts

My Niece Alexis Holding an Earthenware Jar

She Found it Years Ago in a Junk Shop in Haverhill, Mass.

It is Decorated in a Highly Unusual Purple Glaze

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19th/20th Century Earthenware Jar Decorated with a Purple Glaze

Looking For Any ID Help

Stands 7 1/2" Tall

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View of One Handle

The Handles are Similar to Red Earthenware Handles Manufactured Along the Great Road

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View of the Other Handle

The Handles are Similar to Red Earthenware Handles Manufactured Along the Great Road

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View of the Original Lid

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View of the Base of the Lid and the Jar

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View of the Jar in Direct Sunlight

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View of the Base of the Jar and the Lid in Direct Sunlight

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

Nicely Decorated 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug from Western New York or Ontario Sells in Connecticut

This group lot of red earthenware recently sold at The Hamilton Group, LLC in Clinton, Connecticut, although, it was the nineteenth century jug pictured in the middle that caught my attention, as a result of the attractive gray glaze and sponged green decoration. Standing nine inches tall, the jug is also glazed on the base.

The form of this jug is often associated with production in western New York and Ontario, which is where I suspect this piece was made, as well. The form is similar to stoneware jugs of the period, and that has been proven to have been a source of inspiration for various red earthenware potters from this area in the 1800s.

The lot sold for $500 plus the auction premiums.

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug from Western New York or Ontario

Group Lot of Red Earthenware that Recently Sold at The Hamilton Group, LLC in Clinton, CT

(Center) 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Likely Made in Western NY or Ontario

Stands 9" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: The Hamilton Group, LLC

Another View of the Jug

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Photo Courtesy: The Hamilton Group, LLC

Another View of the Jug

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Photo Courtesy: The Hamilton Group, LLC

View of the Glazed Base

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Photo Courtesy: The Hamilton Group, LLC

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A Recently Acquired Exceptional Red Earthenware Jar from Bristol County, Mass.

This is an exceptional late eighteenth or early nineteenth century red earthenware jar that I purchased a few weeks ago, which was manufactured in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is definitely one of the more attractive glazes produced in this industry, especially considering the amount of glaze colors that can be seen in this particular example. Interestingly, this is the third piece purchased from a longstanding private New England collection in recent years, two of which I have been fortunate to acquire in the last year; the other piece is an outstanding green glazed Bristol County jar that likely retains its original green glazed lid, having also been exhibited at the New York Antique Ceramics Fair in New York City in 2020.

For more information about this industry, see a research article I wrote for the June 2018 issue of Maine Antique Digest, titled, "The Pottery Industry in Southeastern Massachusetts."

An Exceptional Red Earthenware Jar from Bristol County, Mass.

Late 18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar

Attributed to Bristol County, Mass.

Stands 7 3/4" Tall

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Both of These Pieces Were Recently Purchased from a Longstanding New England Collection

The Green Glazed Bristol County Jar was also Exhibited in NYC in 2020

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A Female Face Jug Manufactured in Wilkes County, North Carolina

I have been intrigued with these type of twentieth century stoneware face jugs for a few years now; in fact, I have watched a small group of these sell in recent years at a few auction houses, including Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland. Although, most recently, this example sold a few weeks ago at Case Antiques in Knoxville, Tennessee, described as a "female face vessel with paint decorated surface made by the Kennedy Pottery Company of Wilkes County, North Carolina."

Interestingly, though, there is also information that identifies a small number of these face jugs surfacing in the 1990s, all of which were reportedly made by a "Mr. Nelson in North Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, North Carolina in the 1920s."

This particular jug sold for $900 plus the auction premiums, even though prices have varied for this type of production in the last decade, with other examples selling for thousands of dollars. The face forms of this type of production also vary from female faces such as this example to various male faces. Some of the examples were also manufactured with bail handles made out of a metal with a wooden handle for carrying the jug.

Female Face Jug Manufactured in Wilkes County, North Carolina

20th Century Painted Stoneware Face Jug

Attributed to North Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, NC

Circa 1920s

Stands 12 1/4" Tall

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Photo Courtesy: Case Antiques

Another View of the Face Jug

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Photo Courtesy: Case Antiques

View of the Base

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Photo Courtesy: Case Antiques

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