Pitcher
United States
1870-1900
Measurements
9-1/8 in x 8-7/8 in x 7 in
Materials
Mottled brown lead glaze on yellow earthenware (Rockinghamware)
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, anonymous gift
Accession Number
2020.70
Condition Notes
The rim has three areas of damage and loss.
Comments
The molded decoration on each side of this pitcher shows the same image of a man, probably holding a rifle, accompanied by a dog and within lush vegetation. Scrolled leaves decorate the areas below the spout and the upper attachment of the C scroll handle, and a thick bead ornaments the wavy rim.
This pitcher appears to have been made in the same mold as accession no. 2020.73, except the detail is not a clear as on that pitcher. The difference in casting raises the intriguing possibility that the maker of this pitcher created a new mold from an example made in the 2020.73 mold—essentially stealing the work. Competition between and among potteries occasionally led to this behavior. Another pitcher from the same mold is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, accession no. 2008-25-51, which they attribute to the Jeffords Pottery in Philadelphia. That identification cannot be applied to this pitcher given the present evidence.
Size differences between the two pitchers of an 1/8-inch or less likely reflect differences in the clay and in drying. The glaze colors and degree of mottling also differ between these two pitchers. 2020.73 has conventional mottled brown glazing with a second coat of dark brown over it.
