Jar

Artist/Maker
Remmey, Henry
Place Made
Baltimore Maryland United States of America
Date Made
1812-1821
Medium
salt-glazed stoneware
Dimensions
HOA: 13 1/8″; WOA: 11″
Accession Number
5813.20
Description
This salt-glazed stoneware jar with a high collar and ovoid shape is attributed to Henry Remmey during his time in Baltimore, Maryland. Remmey is best known for his decorations. This particular piece features a foliate chain brushed with cobalt blue slip along the shoulder; this pattern is often associated with Remmey. Above the decoration and below the rim on one side is a stamped maker’s mark that reads “H.REMMEY / BALTIMORE”; it is filled in with cobalt blue slip. Thrown on a potter’s wheel, the jar has two handles applied on opposite sides. The handles were made with two pulled or extruded bars of clay applied to the vessel, and then the loop of clay was turned up to make the upward sweeping shape.

Salt glazing was a technique used by stoneware potters to create a glassy surface. When the pottery kiln reached over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, salt was introduced into the kiln, creating a vapor. This vapor adhered to the silica in the clay, forming a glassy appearance on the pottery. Because of the the high temperature at which the pottery was fired, the clay often became non-porous, or vitrified. This, combined with the salt glazing, meant that potters did not have to apply a glaze to the interior of the vessel. It could hold liquids and not seep, unlike earthenware storage vessels.

MAKER: Henry Remmey (1770-1865) descended from a famous New York line of potters. He moved to Baltimore in 1812 and began work at the Baltimore Stoneware Manufactory, owned and operated by the Myers family of Baltimore; they were also china merchants. The wares made in Baltimore by Remmey between 1812 and 1821 closely resemble those made in New York, with several similar features, including high-neck collars, ovoid shapes, loop handles, and cobalt blue decorations.

Zipp, Luke. “Henry Remmey & Son, Late of New York: A Rediscovery of a Master Potter’s Lost Years.” CERAMICS IN AMERICA (2004): 143-156.

Credit Line
The William C. and Susan S. Mariner Collection