Pitcher

1835-1850

Measurements

7-7/8 in x 8 in x 6 in

Materials

Transfer-printed glazed white earthenware

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.

Accession Number

1971.772

Condition Notes

Staple repairs to stabilize crack are around the top of the foot.  The pitcher has edge roughness and abrasions.

Provenance

Ex coll. Mrs. E. Tatnall (Mary Corbit) Warner

Comments

This green-printed pitcher stylistically updated the many Staffordshire ceramic wares printed in blue or black. The slip-cast shape also included a high spout and shaped belly that were more stylish.  Most noticeable, however, was the imagery:  it shows an imaginary, exotic landscape in which a young woman puts a laurel wreath on the head of a portrait bust of a man.  The printed mark on the outside bottom of the pitcher identifies the individual as George Washington.  The individual shown is otherwise not recognizable as him, especially given the subject's receding hairline and atypical facial features and clothing.  Staffordshire potters were known to accommodate their wares to specific markets, this one being the United States.  The printed decals used for the inside and outside top borders and the back of the handle might be used with other subjects.  Similarly, they might be printed in a light blue, red, brown, or other fashionable color.