Tyg
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Les Chats Noirs
(American, founded 1895)
MakerMade by
Unknown
Date1897
MediumWheel-thrown stoneware with a dark brown slip
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width x depth): 6 5/8 x 7 x 6 1/2in. (16.8 x 17.8 x 16.5cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LinePossibly a gift of Mrs. Tremaine K. Field
Object number1983.174.0
DescriptionBuff-colored stoneware tyg coated inside and out with a nearly opaque brown slip glaze, or Albany-type glaze. The tyg has a round foot, and spherical sides that narrow at the neck and then flare slightly to form a plain, standing rim. The tyg has three pulled and applied strap handles, evenly spaced around the outside, that connect to the neck and lower side of the tyg. Between the three handles are three panels of decoration formed by scraping away the brown slip glaze to reveal the buff-colored stoneware below, a technique known as sgraffito. The first panel has a circle with a small cat's head and arm drawn inside, to imitate the appearance of a cat curled up into a ball, just below the rim. Below this are the words, "Les Chats Noirs/ natus est May 27=1895/ obiit nit". Another round cat appears below this, and then the initials and date, "W.M.S. March.1897", are written on the foot below the first panel. The second panel, located to the left of the first panel, has the phrases "Old wood to burn/ Old wine to drink/ Old friends to trust/ Old books to read". Below this, five books are scattered on the panel. The third panel lists the members of the Les Chats Noirs: "E. C. Sudge/ T. S. Cheney/ F. M. Cutting/ Edward Bronson Field/ Secty & cook/ F. E. Field/ C. M. Newell/ W. Tardy Plimpton/ D. Rich/ W. Mary Stone/ P. K. Williams/ C. D. Allen/ L. H. Stedman/ W. N. Carlton". A bag of money is drawn to the right of the name P.K. Williams, and a horizontal line of small circles is drawn between the names P. K. Williams and C. D. Allen. The tyg is in the Arts & Crafts style, which was popular in America in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
NotesSubject Note: Les Chats Noirs (The Black Cats) were an all-male art appreciation group founded in Hartford, Connecticut, on 27 May 1895. The members in 1897 were: Edward C. Sudge; Thomas S. Cheney; Ezra M. Cutting; Edward Bronson Field, Secretary and Cook; Charles M. Newell; William Tardy Plimpton; D. Rich; Wilbur Macey Stone; Philip K. Williams; Charles Dexter Allen; Lewis H. Stedman; and William N. Carlton. Les Chats Noirs always maintained thirteen members, for reasons that went undisclosed. They held meetings first in a loft in a barn at 243 Laurel Street (The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Hartford, Conn. [Hartford, Conn]. 21 Mar 1898: 7.) and then at 981 Asylum Avenue. They read and discussed literary works by the contemporary authors of the time, including Walt Whitman and H.G. Wells.
The group existed at least until 1908, because the Connecticut Historical Society has invitations to Les Chats Noirs events from that year. The donor's husband, Tremaine K. Field, was the son of Edward Bronson Field, one of the Black Cats. (Hudson 10/6/2004)
Artist Note: The tyg is signed by "W.M.S."; the initials correspond to the name "W. Mary Stone", who is listed on the cup as a member of Les Chats Noirs. While it was initially assumed that this name was correct and there was a woman involved in the group, the name actually belonged to Wilbur Macey Stone, and there were no female members.
Status
Not on view
