Pitcher
MakerAttributed to
Ralph Stevenson
(English, 1810 - 1832)
After a work byAfter an engraving by
Asaph Willard
(1786 - 1880)
Dateabout 1825
MediumMechanically-molded buff-colored earthenware with a blue-tinted glaze and underglaze cobalt blue decoration
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width including handle and spout x depth): 8 x 9 5/8 x 5in. (20.3 x 24.4 x 12.7cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number1950.290.0
DescriptionRound pitcher of buff-colored earthenware with a blue-tinted glaze, a type of ceramic known as pearlware. The pitcher sits on a round foot and has swelled, lobed sides that narrow below a vertical rim. A spout has been added at one side of the rim, and a molded handle has been applied opposite the spout. The pitcher is decorated with two different patterns and a border. The first pattern, to the left of the handle, shows a long, rectangular, three-story building with a pediment over a small door that is flanked by two pilasters on each side. Five chimneys are visible on the roof, and there is a low fence to the left of the building. There are four individuals walking on the lawn in the foreground, two to the left and two to the right of the building. The second pattern, printed to the right of the handle, shows an extensive three-story building with a circular cupula, many windows, and a white fence partially covering the front of the building. Two individuals are walking on the lawn in front of the fence, and trees frame the pattern on either side. The handle and the inside and outside of the rim and spout are printed with a border of leaves on a dark blue field.
The pitcher has undergone extensive repairs to reassemble portions of it. Three metal staples hold the foot of the pitcher onto the sides, and an additional staple was used to stabilize a crack to the lower left of the handle. There are many cracks running up the side of the pitcher to the left of the handle. All the surfaces of the pitcher are crazed, and a medium-size chip of glaze and earthenware is missing from the side of the pitcher to the right of the handle.
NotesSubject Note: The source for this view of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum in Hartford is an engraving by Asaph Willard (1786-1880), who worked in Hartford after 1818. The engraving is titled, "View of the Asylum for Deaf & Dumb Persons, Hartford, Con." This view was copied by John Warner Barber for publication in "Connecticut Historical Collections," 1836. The Staffordshire firms of J. & W. Ridgway and Ralph Stevenson produced ceramics with this pattern.The pitcher has undergone extensive repairs to reassemble portions of it. Three metal staples hold the foot of the pitcher onto the sides, and an additional staple was used to stabilize a crack to the lower left of the handle. There are many cracks running up the side of the pitcher to the left of the handle. All the surfaces of the pitcher are crazed, and a medium-size chip of glaze and earthenware is missing from the side of the pitcher to the right of the handle.
Subject Note: The source of the view of the New York City Almshouse, printed to the right of the handle, is not known, although several similar views were published in 1817 and 1818. Andrew Stevenson, Ralph Stevenson, and J & W Ridgway all manufactured ceramics with this pattern. (Hunt 11/19/2004)
Status
Not on view
