Pitcher

1845-1870

Measurements

9 in x 8-3/4 in x 6-1/2 in

Materials

Brown-glazed yellow earthenware (Rockingham ware)

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, anonymous gift

Accession Number

2020.73

Condition Notes

The pitcher survives in excellent condition.

Comments

This molded pitcher displays dogs hunting a stag on one side and a wild boar on the other.  The handle is detailed as a twig or branch.  Closer inspection reveals the molded imagery to be violent.  Two dogs ride the boar's back, clinging on with their claws.  A third nips at the boar's underbelly.  The stag has a dog on its back and two more underneath.  Action aside, the pitcher is covered in a rich brown glaze with some yellow streaks highlighting the modeling.

This kind of pottery became very successful in the 1820s and 30s in England, and quickly spread to America.  Individual potteries stole ideas from industry leaders, namely the Rockingham Pottery in England, from where the generic name comes.  Similarly, Bennington ware is a term that describes generic American forms.