The largest and most representative collection of 17th-century European
and early American pottery which has been excavated in America is on
exhibition at Jamestown. Thousands of fragments of colorful types have
been found, and by the exercise of extreme care and patience, museum
technicians have pieced together many early specimens. These examples
reveal the kinds of pottery used in the wilderness settlement over three
centuries ago. Included in this ceramic collection are pitchers, bowls,
jugs, cups, mugs, porringers, milk pans, jars, plates and dishes, pots,
and platters. These were used at the table, as well as for the storage
of foods, and for other purposes.
While some of the utilitarian earthenware was made at Jamestown, most of
the pottery that has been found was imported from England. Many types
also came from other European countries, including Germany, Holland,
Italy, Spain, and Portugal. One kind of maiolica may have been made in
Mexico, while the few fragments of porcelain recovered were made in
China.
Because of the great variety and importance of the ceramic collection, a
few of the more representative types will be described briefly.
[Illustration: A FEW KNIVES, FORKS, AND SPOONS UNEARTHED AT JAMESTOWN.]
[Illustration: THE PEWTER SPOON HANDLE AT THE TOP, UNEARTHED AT
JAMESTOWN, IS THE OLDEST DATED PIECE OF AMERICAN PEWTER IN EXISTENCE. IT
WAS MADE BY JOSEPH COPELAND OF CHUCKATUCK, VA., IN 1675. THE SPOON ON
THE BOTTOM IS A CONJECTURAL RESTORATION OF COPELAND'S SPECIMEN.]
[Illustration: A FEW EXAMPLES OF LEAD-GLAZED EARTHENWARE MADE IN ENGLAND
DURING THE 17TH CENTURY. ALL WERE UNEARTHED AT JAMESTOWN.]
[Illustration: EXAMPLES OF LEAD-GLAZED EARTHENWARE MADE AT JAMESTOWN
ABOUT 1640-50.]
[Illustration: ENGLISH SGRAFFITO, OR SCRATCHED, WARE--ONE OF THE MOST
COLORFUL TYPES OF POTTERY UNEARTHED AT JAMESTOWN.]
[Illustration: ENGLISH SLIP-DECORATED WARE. ALTHOUGH MADE IN ENGLAND
MAINLY FOR LOCAL CONSUMPTION, MANY ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLES WERE SHIPPED TO
VIRGINIA DURING THE 17TH CENTURY.]
Lead-glazed Earthenware.--Most of these vessels were made for
utilitarian purposes, and were usually glazed only on the inside. While
some were made at Jamestown, the majority were imported from England.
One type, a grit-tempered earthenware, was manufactured in North
Devonshire. Another kind, a hard-fired earthenware, was also made in
England. At least two distinct types of local-made earthenware have been
found, and, as many examples have well-proportioned shapes and
attractive designs, it is evident that they were not fashioned by a
young apprentice, but by a trained potter who took pride in shaping his
wares.
English Sgraffito-ware (a slipware).--This colorful pottery, beautifully
decorated with incised designs, is an English earthenware of red or buff
clay on which a slip was applied. Before firing, a decoration was
scratched, stippled, or cut through the slip, exposing the darker color
of the body. The entire piece then received a transparent lead glaze,
either clear or covered with an oxide. The English sgraffito-ware found
at Jamestown was made near Barnstaple, in North Devonshire, probably
after 1640. The reddish-brown floral and geometric designs which
decorate the vessels are unusually attractive against colorful yellow
backgrounds. Sgraffito is an Italian word meaning scratched.
English Slip-decorated-ware.--This colorful English pottery, which was
made for everyday use, is a lead-glazed earthenware decorated with a
liquid clay or slip. The design was usually dropped or trailed upon the
ware from the spout (or quill) of a slip cup, somewhat in the manner a
baker decorates a cake with icing; or it may have been painted over a
large area or placed on in molded pads. Although most of the
slip-decorated-ware found at Jamestown was made in England, there is
some evidence that a few vessels may have been manufactured in America
during the late 17th century.
English Redware with Marbled Slip Decoration.--On this type English
earthenware, which usually has a red body, the liquid slip was marbled
or combed over the surface of the vessel with a toothed instrument of
wire or leather to produce the effect of paper-marbling. Some in the
Jamestown collection appear to have been made as early as 1625.
Italian Maiolica.--Maiolica is a word derived from a type of pottery
made on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The 17th-century Italian
maiolica-ware found at Jamestown is a red-body earthenware with
scratched or incised designs--a true sgraffito-ware. Somewhat similar in
appearance to the English sgraffito-ware, the desired design was
scratched through the cream-colored slip, revealing the reddish-brown
body beneath. On many examples, colorful lines were hand painted over or
near the incised designs, usually in reds, yellows, and greens, and were
covered with a transparent lead glaze.
[Illustration: ENGLISH REDWARE WITH MARBLED SLIP DECORATION, 1625-50
PERIOD OR EARLIER, UNEARTHED AT JAMESTOWN.]
[Illustration: LATE 17TH-CENTURY ITALIAN MAIOLICA BOWLS EXCAVATED AT
JAMESTOWN.]
[Illustration: A FEW EXAMPLES OF ENGLISH DELFTWARE IN THE JAMESTOWN
COLLECTION.]
[Illustration]
Delftware.--This is a soft pottery covered with an opaque white tin
glaze, and decorated with hand-painted designs, usually in blues and
purples. A few specimens excavated are embellished with pleasing
patterns in polychrome colors. Most of the delftware unearthed at
Jamestown was made in England (Lambeth, Southwark, and Bristol),
although a few examples were imported from Holland.
Spanish Maiolica.--This maiolica is a tin-glazed earthenware with a soft
body usually buff in color and porous in texture. The colorful
decorations were hand painted on the absorbent surface--usually in
greens, blues, yellows, and reddish-browns, against a white background.
Some small Spanish jugs in the collection bear very crude dark-red
floral designs painted against a cream-colored background. A few
examples of maiolica found at Jamestown are believed to have been made
in Lisbon, and these usually have designs in blues and dark purples
against a white background.
Salt-glazed Stoneware.--This common but attractive type of pottery found
in many excavations at Jamestown includes mugs, jars, bottles, tankards,
and jugs. It is a very hard ware which was fired at high temperatures
and finished with a salt glaze, formed by throwing common salt into the
furnace. The surface of the body has a pitted appearance resembling an
orange peel, and is covered with a thin, glasslike coating. Most of the
salt-glazed stoneware unearthed was made in Germany, although a small
amount was manufactured in England.
[Illustration: COLORFUL SPANISH MAIOLICA FOUND WHICH APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN
MADE BEFORE 1650.]
[Illustration: A LARGE GERMAN STONEWARE JUG UNEARTHED AT JAMESTOWN. THE
DATE "1661" APPEARS ABOVE THE MEDALLION.]
[Illustration: A FEW EXAMPLES OF GERMAN SALT-GLAZED STONEWARE IN THE
JAMESTOWN COLLECTION. ALL WERE MADE DURING THE 17TH CENTURY.]
[Illustration: RECONSTRUCTED WINEGLASSES AND WINEGLASS FRAGMENTS IN THE
JAMESTOWN COLLECTION.]
[Illustration: NOTE THE MAKERS' MARKS OR SEALS ON THE WINEGLASS
FRAGMENTS. ONLY A FEW ENGLISH WINEGLASSES BEARING 17TH-CENTURY MAKERS'
SEALS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN AMERICA.]