Corliss Redware Lidded Jar The history of the potting industry in Maine is comprised of many small potteries that filled the needs and tastes of the settlements that were still in the pioneer stage well into the 19th century, and Redware was in demand long after its manufacture had virtually ceased elsewhere, having given way to stoneware. Opposite Bath, near the mouth of the Kennebec, is the town of Woolwich, for many years the seat of one of the best known Maine potteries, that of John Corliss. He was apprenticed to his uncle Ebenezer in Yarmouth to learn the trade and then went on to found his own pottery in Day's Ferry in West Woolwich in 1820, this being an ideal location with a suitable bed of clay near at hand and access to the river for transporting his wares. Much is known of the Corliss endeavor due to the fact that his account book has survived as well as the diary that his son, Howard kept from 1859 to 1868. It appears that much of the business was conducted by trade and barter so that very actual cash changed hands. The output of the Corliss Pottery was significant as well as magnificent. This is a wonderful example of the potter's art and the glaze is stunning, the colors rich, and the condition high outstanding! It is a beautiful example of Corliss Redware with it's dripping dark and oatmeal glaze on a relatively rare form, possibly a herb pot. Amazing that the cover has survived intact and virtually undamaged with only a couple of tiny "flea bites" on the edge that are mentioned for the sake of accuracy. Nothing of any consequence, to be sure. Both the lid and the jar have the same incised initial that appears to be an "m" in script. In New England, the potters worked out of necessity and their time was occupied in making utilitarian vessels. They had little opportunity or desire to decorate their wares as did the Pennsylvania Germans as the need for useful objects was greater than the urge to decorate them. The inherent beauty in New England redware is in its simplicity, functionality, lustrous glazes, soft colors and shapes of good proportion. As Watkins states in Early New England Potters and Their Wares, New England Redware, "Earthy by its very nature, with its suggestion of soil, leaves, and trees, it captures the essence of the early potter's environment. That its beauty is largely accidental makes it no less lovable: its variations are like the changes of Nature herself, never ending, ever yielding fresh enjoyment. It is truly an expression of simple people . . . men almost without conscious thought of art. Like them their pottery is strong, direct, stripped of pretense and foolish ornamentation. It was created to fill a demand, and incidentally, to please those who came to buy." That this piece succeeds on all counts in undeniable. It is 5-1/2" high, including the lid, and the condition, as mentioned earlier is excellent.
R06G055331
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