Images(2)

Bottle

Date1675-1676

Maker John Dwight 1633-1703

Maker John Dwight's Fulham Pottery 1668-?

OriginEngland, Fulham

MediumBrown salt-glazed stoneware

DimensionsOH: 8 1/2 inches

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2011-68

DescriptionBrown salt-glazed stoneware bottle of ovoid shape with slender reeded neck and strap handle. Opposite the handle is an applied circular medallion bearing a cock under the initials H.C all within a 1/4 inch hatched border.Label TextBrown salt-glazed stoneware bottle of ovoid shape with slender reeded neck and strap handle. Opposite the handle is an applied circular medallion bearing a cock under the initials H.C all within a 1/4 inch hatched border.

Fragments of two English brown salt-glazed stoneware bottles very similar to this example have been excavated archaeologically from the site of Barrett's Ferry on the banks of the Chickahominy and James Rivers known as Barrett's Ferry (44JC1123). The fragments, which have been attributed to John Dwight's pottery, were recovered along with other artifacts from the 1670s. To date the only Dwight medallion known in America, the fragmentary seal depicts the leg and foot of a bird. Various badges featuring birds such as owls, hens, doves, geese, storks, swans, and eagles, primarily dating to 1675-1676, have been excavated at Dwight's pottery. His sealed bottles appear to have been made for specific individuals, many of whom were tavern keepers. This bottle, whose seal is very similar to the one excavated from Barrett's Ferry, was made for Henry Crosse, owner and operator of the Cock Alehouse in London.ProvenancePreviously in the private collection of Jonathan Horne.