ANTIQUE MAJOLICA PITCHER - PLEASING FERN & FENCE MOTIF

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ANTIQUEMAJOLICA PITCHER WITH PLEASING FERN AND FENCE MOTIF With Summertime Oak Leaves and Acorn Clusters This oneâe(tm)s REALLY old âe" we think between 1860 and 1880 âe" and was probably used as a cream pitcher. It was Great-great Grandmaâe(tm)s and has been passed down through the generations. This piece is almost certainly American. The colors on this 6Â¼âe tall pitcher are testament to the Majolica lead glaze. At what may be more than 125 years old, the hues are as vibrant as the day it was fired! The photographs canâe(tm)t do justice to the rich brown of the âeoefenceâe or the cool greens of the fern base. T is a thin rope trim between the fence and the fern. As with many pieces of Majolica, t is a paint deficit âe" the painter missed the oak leaf under the pour spout! Majolica is kind of funny stuff. True Majolica ( Maiolica ) came to Spain in the 8 th Century as utilitarian pottery and evolved to the beautiful pottery called faience first produced by artists such as Bernard Pallisy in France in the 1500s. Too bad, thoughâe¦ the commoners couldnâe(tm)t afford such nice stuff. So, Herbert Minton, in 1850, figured a way to make brightly-colored whimsical pottery affordable to the masses. Part of his plan was to hire cheap labor and mass produce! Itâe(tm)s for this reason that many Majolica pieces are unmarked âe" the pottery didnâe(tm)t want their name attached to things that didnâe(tm)t meet their standards! This little pitcher, however, has what we presume to be an artistâe(tm)s mark on the bottom, but no makerâe(tm)s mark. (If you will notice, t is a very slight indentation in the spout about 1âe down from the rim w t is very little crazing or wear. Oddly enough, my index finger fits perfectly into the spout and the indentation comes exactly at the top of my knuckle. It's probably how they formed the spout. Itâe(tm)s definitely hand formed, not molded as it is smooth on the left side and has a ridge on the right.) T are two cracks we can see: one tight 1âe long hairline crack at the rim and one tight 1Â½âe hairline crack that starts about 2âe directly below the pour spout. These appear to be through the glaze only as t is no evidence of cracking on the outside of the piece. What appears in the photo as a crack on the inside right of the spout is either glaze shrinkage prior to firing or just a thin layer of glaze over the slight ridge (see above paragraph). Itâe(tm)s not a crack. As you can see, t is the expected amount of crazing for a piece this âeoematureâe and, as it was used often, t are wear chips around the rim, and one on the base below the handle. The chips have darkened with age but, while you know they are t, they do not detract from the folk art quality of the pitcher. T are worn places on the glaze over the ferns âe" from normal wear and washing (dish soap used to have lye in it!). The pitcher is 6Â¼âe tall, the base is 4Â½âe and the spout is 5âe from the tip of the spout to the tip of the handle. It weighs about 1Â¼ pounds so the shipping weight will be approximately 3 pounds. THIS PITCHER IS BEING SOLD âeoeAS IS.âe If you have ANY questions, please contact us prior to bidding. ABOUT US! Very Fine Things 1âe¦ Weâe(tm)re two âeoe50-somethingâe sisters who are (semi) retired and LOVING IT! One was in business for 30 years and the other, after a very professional career of 15 years, became a stay-at-home Mom. Weâe(tm)ve spent the last 10 years moving very fine things around from house to house, and generation to generation. Now that our families are grown, weâe(tm)re downsizing and are willing to share our treasures with like-minded collectors. We specialize in 19 th and 20 th century silver, crystal, antique china and collectibles. Our eBay selections are constantly changing which allows you to view frequently varying items of high quality. We are honest (if itâe(tm)s chipped, weâe(tm)ll show you a picture of the chip!), we accept payment through PayPal or Cashierâe(tm)s Checks (to protec... read more

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