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Not just another pretty pitcher ...

by Jacqueline

November 10, 2008


Today's post is from guest blogger Cindy Cragg, home stylist for WILLIAMSBURG®, williamsburgmarketplace.com, the lifestyle brand of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Cindy Cragg

The pitcher or jug, in Colonial times, was a very utilitarian item. Today, items like these are inexpensive enough that we don’t think twice about replacing our table wares for reasons as whimsical as a change in our taste of décor. However, in Colonial times, even everyday items, like a jug or pitcher, were valuable. The material of choice for many table items was earthenware – but what exactly is earthenware?

Let me start by saying that the typical household in Colonial Virginia would likely contain local pottery and some imported goods. Everyday items were often purchased from local potters who were not professionally trained.

Imported items were very expensive so it made sense to have locally made, less expensive wares for the average household. Most of these locally, homemade items were earthenware as well as some of the more expensive imported pieces.

Generally, earthenware is a term used for all clays that are almost watertight, or vitrified, when fired. Earthenware can be in a range of colors from white to dark brown. Because of the inability for earthenware to be completely watertight, a glaze is applied to aid in making them more waterproof. Within the Earthenware category there are a number of different types – including redware, delft, salt glaze and creamware.


Redware Pipkin used for honey and butter williamsburgmarketplace.com
Redware came by its name for obvious reasons (see above). Commonly found in New England, the color of redware is created by having a high iron content. In the 17th and 18th century, most local pottery was of this type.


Delft mugs williamsburgmarketplace.com
One of the most famous varieties of earthenware is Delft from Holland. Delft ware was extremely popular with the wealthy American colonists and there is evidence to suggest that a large amount of delft was imported in the 18th century.





Saltglaze mugs williamsburgmarketplace.com
The salt glaze is produced by throwing salt into a hot kiln during the firing process. The resulting sodium gas bonds with the clay bodies to produce a distinctive glassy coating. These stoneware mugs are based on fragments of eighteenth-century pottery uncovered in Williamsburg during archaeological excavations.

Understandably, the heaviest concentrations of shards were found around tavern sites, where the originals would have been used for beer and cider. The ornamentation-simple incised designs colored with cobalt blue-is a style developed in the Rhineland during the late 16th century. Throughout the colonial period, this style was the standard for tavernware in England and her colonies.





Leeds Creamware Cream Jug williamsburgmarketplace.com  
A popular import amongst the well-heeled Colonists, Creamware from the Leeds Pottery in England, was a type of fine earthenware that originated in the late 1700’s. Creamware pieces are often decorated with pierced holes in intricate patterns. These products were exported across Europe, Russian and America, and were so successful that in time all Creamware became known as Leedsware.


The golden pitcher, which contains the beautiful WILLIAMSBURG bouquet teleflora.com/williamsburg.asp, clearly has roots in early pottery designs with an updated look of the golden finish. The shape is inspired by some of the above pieces which, in turn, were inspired by pieces in the Colonial Williamsburg Decorative Arts Collection. The modern golden finish brings this historically inspired shape into the 21st century and does a wonderful job of setting off the vibrant colors of the floral assortment in the bouquet.
 


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Comments


Rick Hamelin
Rick Hamelin | Reply
November 10, 2008

America's redware history is a very rich heritage indeed! Great variations in glaze and slip colors and surface treatment, including "quilling" and "sgraffito" created a grand palette from throughout the colonies into the twentieth century.
Helen Hill wrote a wonderful article on the subject in the Antiques Journal:
www.antiquesjournal.com/.../redware.html

Enjoy!
Rick Hamelin
www.americanredware.com
rick@americanredware.com


Kirsten
Kirsten | Reply
November 11, 2008

I have a blue glass pitcher that I use for flowers. Many times people have come up and asked me where I got the idea. I don't look at objects in just one way. Everything has many uses....flowers, plants, bowls for ornaments, etc.

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