Description:
Tan-bodied stoneware jug stamp-impressed "ORCUTT & CRAFTS / PORTLAND / 2" in-filled with cobalt blue. In late 1833 or early 1834, Martin Crafts (1807-1880), the son of potter Thomas Crafts (1781-1761) of Whately, Massachusetts, moved from Whately to Portland, Maine, and began making the first stoneware in Portland and probably Maine, since Lyman & Clark of Gardiner, Maine, did not produce stoneware pottery until 1837. In 1835, Martin formed a partnership with Eleazer Orcutt (b.1796), son of potter Stephen Orcutt (1777-1821) of Whately and a seasoned craftsman who worked at the stoneware works of Israel Seymour in Troy, New York, from 1833-1834. The heavily-mortgaged pottery did not do well. In September 1836, Martin Crafts sold his real estate to Orcutt, reserving for himself free use and occupancy of the property until June 1, 1837. Eleazer Orcutt in turn sold Martin his share of the stoneware factory on that same date, dissolving the partnership on May 1, 1837. In July 1837, Martin sold the business to his uncle, Caleb Crafts (1800-1854); Martin moved to Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1838 to join another Crafts family pottery. The jug, which has large areas of discoloration, has a narrow spout/lip, incised line around the neck, strap handle with deeply tooled ridges attached to the spout, bulbous body, and beveled base. The variegated look to the clay surface may be the result of a clay mixture. There is a drip of glaze from the kiln roof onto the piece.
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