The William Ellis Tucker China Manufactory
‘Grecian-Shape’ Pitcher
1825-1837
Scroll
The William Ellis Tucker China Manufactory
‘Grecian-Shape’ Pitcher
1825-1837
Physical Qualities
Porcelain, enamel, gilt decoration., 8 1/2 x 8 3/4 x 6 in. (21.6 x 22.2 x 15.2 cm)
Credit Line
Purchase with exchange funds from The Mary Frick Jacobs Collection
Object Number
1992.121
American potters produced primarily utilitarian stoneware vessels, vital to the thriving agricultural markets. Finer materials, like porcelain, were usually imported. William Ellis Tucker's factory in downtown Philadelphia was one of the earliest American companies to create porcelain which rivaled European dinnerware. Here, exquisitely painted floral ornament and gilding recall 'Old Paris' porcelain made in Europe prior to the French Revolution.
This pitcher bears the initials of Thomas McAdam, "the original owner, who passed it down to his son, and were then bought by Samuel W. Woodhouse, Jr., an early collector, before entering the collections of the Brooklyn Museum." Frelinghuysen, "American Porcelain, 1770-1920. See references.
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References, continued: Important Furniture, Silver, Folk Art and Decorative Arts, Christie's New York, June 17, 1992, lot 109.
Wendy A. Cooper. Classical Taste in America 1800-1840. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Museum of Art; New York: Abbeville Press, 1993, page 182.
Tucker Pattern Books, vol. 2, n.p. Library, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rare Book Collection.
Three Centuries of American Art, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1976, no. 239, p. 284.
Ian Quimby, ed., 'Ceramics in America,' Winterthur Conference Report, 1972, fig. 6, p. 362
Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, American Porcelain, NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989, no. 19, pp. 106-107.
Fine American Furniture, Silver, Folk Art and Decorative Arts, Christie's New York, June 2, 1990, lots 107-115. (painted decoration).
Three Centuries of American Art, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1976, no. 239, p. 284.
Ian Quimby, ed., 'Ceramics in America,' Winterthur Conference Report, 1972, fig. 6, p. 362
Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, American Porcelain, NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989, no. 19, pp. 106-107.
Fine American Furniture, Silver, Folk Art and Decorative Arts, Christie's New York, June 2, 1990, lots 107-115. (painted decoration).
Inscribed: On front: "TMcA" [owner's initials]
Markings: On bottom, painted in red: "Smith. Fife & Co / Manufactureres / Phila"