Description:
English Staffordshire pearlware oval platter in dark-blue and white, with an underglaze transfer print of "WINTER VIEW OF PITTSFIELD MASS" by James & Ralph Clews (worked 1813-1834), also commonly known as the "Pittsfield Elm" pattern. In the first half of the 19th century, American was the biggest importer of English-made pottery, an many designs were created or copied to appeal to the American taste and sentiment. The well, surrounded by a beaded band, depicts the legendary elm of Pittsfield where Rev. Thomas Allen, first minister of this parish and a chaplain in Washington's army during the Revolutionary war, organized the first Berkshire Minute Men. The elm was said to be 340 yr. when it was felled by lightning in 1861; its wood was made into souvenirs. The woman's figure, walking around the common with a child, is traditionally said to be "Crazy Sue", a village character. The buildings in the background include a white meeting house in the center, designed by Charles Bulfinch in 1792 and known as the Bulfinch Meeting House of Pittsfield, which was in use until 1851 when fire destroyed a portion. The old town hall stands to the right; and the Baptist church, finished in 1827, the Maplewood Institute, and the Berkshire Hotel (1827-1866) stand to the left. The scalloped rim has a petal-patterned edge and four reserves surrounded by scrollwork, each with a view of the Meeting House, alternating with large white-petaled flowers. This platter has four medallions in the border as opposed to plates which have either two or three medallions and which often exclude the woman in the foreground. This scene is part of a very popular series of platters, plates and vegetable dishes manufactured by Clews. The prominent Elm was known for its size and beauty, and the fence was erected around it in 1820 to protect it. However the tree was struck by lightning and was taken down in 1861. The central building is the First Congregational Church, (1793-1853), the right hand structure was the Town Hall. The far left structure was the Berkshire Hotel (1826-66). A cup plate with an image of the Pittsfield Elm was found on the site of the Anna and Hinsdale Williams House, by UMass Field School in Archaeology, 1990.
Subjects:
Pottery; Enamel and enameling; glaze (coating by location) Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+90.197 |
