Jar

Object number2007.57.22

Date1868-1879

OriginPA

Mediumstoneware clay body; brown albany slip; cobalt slip decoration

Credit LineGift of Bernard Vavrek and Joanne Vavrek

DescriptionThree-gallon storage jar, possibly a butter churn; very heavy weight; short, wide, body; light grey color, very thick, shiny glazing; two wide applied pulled handles; flared neck with a wide rim, having an internal shelf to fit a lid or (churn) dasher assembly; brown Albany slip interior; stamped or impressed at neck with large numeral and maker information; very large and bold cobalt decoration, featuring a fuschia(?) flower and fern-like stem, positioned horizontally across the jar; three large brushed dots below; cobalt accenting at base of handles and neck.Dimensions12.5 x 8.5 x 8 in. (31.8 x 21.6 x 20.3 cm)
MarksStamped or impressed at neck with large "3" and "A. RUSSELL / BEAVER PA."
Historical NotesThis vessel, possibly a butter churn, was made by the Albert Russell pottery. Albert was the son of Ralph W. Russell, who ran a busy pottery in Vanport, Beaver County, Pennsylvania (on the Ohio River adjacent to Beaver, PA) beginning in the 1840s until his death in a train accident in 1868. Ralph Russell had married the daughter of Jonathan McKenzie (one of the 1st Beaver County potters) in 1845, and at times was a partner of McKenzie's. The firm passed on to Albert in 1868, who ran it into the 1870s. R.W. Russell had trained as a potter in New Jersey before moving to Pennsylvania. Part of a collection of stoneware from local manufacturers in the Western Pennsylvania region.

Related person Albert Russell

Related person Jonathan McKenzie

Related person Ralph W. Russell

Collector Bernard Vavrek

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