Pitcher

MakerProbably made by Enoch Wood & Sons (English, July 1818-1846)

Dateabout 1820-1840

MediumMold-formed ironstone with an underglaze cobalt blue decoration

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width x depth): 8 1/8 x 7 3/4 x 6in. (20.6 x 19.7 x 15.2cm)

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineGift of the heirs of Morgan B. Brainard

Object number1961.12.30

DescriptionRound, ironstone pitcher with a transfer-printed pattern in dark underglaze cobalt blue. The pattern, printed on both sides of the pitcher, shows a man in a dark blue jacket seated at the base of a tree to the right; he has an open book in his left hand. He is gazing to the left, at a memorial that has an urn sitting on top of a pedestal with the name "FRANKLIN" written on the front. The urn sits in a grove of flowering trees. In the middle and right background, a circular columned building sits on an island with a sailing ship to the right. The rays of the setting sun fill the sky behind the building. These elements are surrounded by a number of trees and flowers, then a narrow scalloped border at the rim. The pitcher has an additional border inside the spout and neck, showing lighter blue flowers on a dark blue field. A portion of the pattern has been printed on the molded handle, but not the side spout opposite. Two mold lines appear below the spout and handle, but not on the neck or spout itself. There is some crazing and a yellow discoloration over the surfaces of the pitcher.

NotesSubject Note: Although there is no evidence who the seated figure represents, some believe that this popular scene shows the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) mourning his departed friend, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). (Hunt 9/13/2004)

Status

Not on view