Glazed Earthenware Fragment (Archaeological Find)
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Title:
Glazed Earthenware Fragment
Subject:
Since this flake is small, it is hard to tell what kind of ceramic it is. Given the tan paste, clear glaze, and hand-painted blue designs, it seems to be creamware with underglaze painting. If that is true, this piece can be dated to the 1770s at the earliest, but more likely the 1780s (Diagnostic Artifacts in Maryland n.d.). The blue-on-white patterning imitates Chinese porcelain, which was imported from China, as Western potters had not yet reverse-engineered porcelain. This creamware was a cheap way to mimic these designs, suitable for heavier usage, and affordable enough for students to own.
Though it is likely that the sherd is creamware, there are also signs pointing to it being tin-glazed earthenware. The sherd is thin with a rough back. This is a flake that has fallen off a larger piece, not a complete cross-section of the vessel. This and its hand-painted cobalt blue designs point to it being tin-glazed earthenware (Peterson, Capone, and Loren n.d.). This suggests that the sherd came from a valuable object belonging to a higher-class person.
One of those high-class people, Judge Samuel Sewall, mentions many objects in his orders from London, but not ceramics (Cooke Jr. n.d.). Most people used locally-made lead-glazed earthenwares for everyday use, as determined by archaeological evidence (Cooke Jr. n.d.). More valuable items were made of tin-glazed earthenware, which in 1719 had to be imported from London, but they would be used less frequently than local pieces (Cooke Jr. n.d.).
Source:
Tin-Glazed Earthenware
Creamware
Diagnostic Artifacts in Maryland reference site. These pages helped in identifying different styles of earthenware that the sherd could be. Photo is of a creamware teapot with blue underglaze painting.
17th and 18th c. Ceramics slideshow from Anthro 1130 resources. This slideshow from class last semester also helps in identifying different types of earthenware.
“Newest Fashion” Case Furniture in Boston, 1690–1725: A Transatlantic View
This narrative using Sewall’s letters showcases the relatively low value of ceramics as compared to other materials such as silver.
Object Name:
Glazed Earthenware Fragment
Inventory Description:
Small flake of white earthenware with blue patterning
Peabody Number:
2023.11.5
Intrasite:
H979 Level 4
Depth:
21-31 cm
Class 1:
Ceramic
Class 2:
Earthenware
Quantity:
1
Height (cm):
1.2
Width (cm):
0.8
Depth/Thickness (cm):
0.2
Notes:
Record of Harvard Buildings to determine which building layer the sherd may have come from.