A Historical Example of New England Red Earthenware: The Provenance, Exhibition, and Publication History of a Colonial Honey Pot

One of my all-time favorite pieces of colonial New England slip-decorated red earthenware will be featured in my forthcoming tenth book—a comprehensive, two-volume, 1,900-page work titled An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly, and Salem, Massachusetts. The handled pot (also referred to as a "honey pot") is set to be included in Chapter 1 of Volume I, a section largely dedicated to the Kettle family and early production in Salem Village dating as far back as 1687. Beyond its focus on the Kettles, this opening chapter expands outward to establish critical connections to other early pottery manufacturing sites across coastal Massachusetts, providing a broader regional context for the industry.

This exceptional honey pot was owned for decades by Roger Pheulpin of Gloucester, Massachusetts, though it previously sold in the Chris Huntington Sale in Maine in 1974 to Maine antiques dealer Ross Levett. It is now privately owned in New England.

Beyond its storied provenance, the pot has a fascinating history of publication and exhibition. It was prominently featured as item number 38 in a landmark decorative arts exhibition organized by the Heritage Plantation of Sandwich, Massachusetts, which ran from May 8 to October 23, 1994. Curated by Brian Cullity, the exhibition was accompanied by the official catalogue, A Cubberd, Four Joyne Stools & Other Smalle Thinges: The Material Culture of Plymouth Colony, which explored the regional craftsmanship and material history of Plymouth Colony, Cape Cod, and Nantucket (see below).

The catalog stated, "This is undoubtedly an early example of Massachusetts redware. It bears parallel incised lines circling the body in much the same manner as an early Essex County piece of redware illustrated in Early New England Potters and Their Wares (1950) and has a domed base. It has yellow slip spots with green splashes on an orange-brown body. The clay is a deep red color."

Late 17th or 18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Honey Pot

Probably Made in the Danvers and Salem, Mass. Area

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Courtesy: Private Collection

Another View of the Pot

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Courtesy: Private Collection

A View of the Handle

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Courtesy: Private Collection

A View of the "Domed" Base

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Courtesy: Private Collection

Material Culture Museum Exhibit from 1994

Curated by Brian Cullity at the Heritage Museum on Cape Cod

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Here is the Pot Illustrated in the Exhibit Catalog

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