Pitchers
MakerMade by
William Davenport & Company
English, 1835 - 1887
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Sarah Maria Raymond
American
Dateabout 1845
MediumMold-formed buff-colored earthenware with a blue-tinted glaze, black underglaze decoration, and overglaze enamels in orange, yellow, pink, and green
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width x depth): 8 7/8 x 7 1/2 x 4in. (22.5 x 19.1 x 10.2cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LineGift of Mrs. R. B. Marean and Miss Ida A. Green
DescriptionTwo octagonal, buff-colored earthenware pitchers with a blue-tinted glaze, a type of ceramic known as pearlware. The pitchers are part of a larger partial toilet set, consisting of a washbowl (.1) and pitcher (.2), two matching pitchers (.3 and .4), a shaving mug (.5), a soap dish (.6a-c), a toothbrush holder or razor box (.7a,b), and a lid (.8). The entire set is decorated with a floral pattern and border. The naturalistic floral pattern consists of variously sized flowers transfer-printed in black beneath the glaze, with green, pink, and light orange enamel highlights hand-painted over the glaze. The remaining decoration consists of a scalloped border made up of a printed, underglaze, black, scalloped band, next to an overglaze, hand-painted, orange, scalloped band. This orange and black border is interrupted periodically by a group of elaborate scrolls of various sizes and widths and highlighted in green enamel. The scrolls surround a roughly diamond-shaped, scalloped-edge decorative element that is painted with light orange enamel. Finally, on all the objects in the set, the blue-tinted glaze has pooled around the printed decorative elements and raised or recessed portions of the ceramic's surface, giving the set a pearly blue and white appearance.
The sides of the pitchers narrow from a wide, flat, octagonal base before ending in a flat rim with curved spout and handle opposite. There are two mold lines, one running the height of each pitcher at the spout and another beneath the handle. Each handle was formed in a mold and may have been applied separately. Like the larger pitcher (.2) , the sides of these two smaller pitchers are decorated with large flowers printed in black, then hand-painted with pink, yellow, green, and orange enamels. The black and orange border decorates both the inside and outside of the rim and spout, with groups of flowers printed and hand-painted between the scrolls and orange decorative elements on the borders. A variation on the orange and black border, surrounded by scrolls, decorates the length of each handle.
There is light crazing over the outside of both pitchers, although there appears to be more on .4. Pitcher .4 has a large chip on the outside of the spout.
The sides of the pitchers narrow from a wide, flat, octagonal base before ending in a flat rim with curved spout and handle opposite. There are two mold lines, one running the height of each pitcher at the spout and another beneath the handle. Each handle was formed in a mold and may have been applied separately. Like the larger pitcher (.2) , the sides of these two smaller pitchers are decorated with large flowers printed in black, then hand-painted with pink, yellow, green, and orange enamels. The black and orange border decorates both the inside and outside of the rim and spout, with groups of flowers printed and hand-painted between the scrolls and orange decorative elements on the borders. A variation on the orange and black border, surrounded by scrolls, decorates the length of each handle.
There is light crazing over the outside of both pitchers, although there appears to be more on .4. Pitcher .4 has a large chip on the outside of the spout.
Object number1959.48.3-.4
MarkingsThe pitchers each have three marks on the bottom: a lightly impressed anchor with the curved name "DAVENPORT" above and two unknown numbers on either side of the vertical portion of the anchor; an underglaze, printed, black mark of an oval cartouche, embellished with scrolls, with the pattern name "ROSE & LILY" inside and the company name "DAVENPORT" below; and an overglaze, pink, enamel number "1051".Subject Terms
On View
Not on view
