Redware: Early American Lead-Glazed Earthenware
Redware is a type of low-fired earthenware made from iron-rich red clay, produced throughout the American colonies and early republic from the 1630s through the late 19th century. It was the most common form of American-made pottery for over two centuries, used for plates, bowls, crocks, jars, pie plates, and decorative pieces. The finest examples feature slip-trailed decoration, sgraffito designs, or manganese splotching and represent the earliest American folk art pottery tradition.
Types and Decorative Techniques
- Plain redware: Undecorated utilitarian pieces with clear lead glaze showing the natural red clay body. Common forms include storage jars, milk pans, and flowerpots.
- Slip-decorated: Designs trailed in yellow, white, or green-tinted liquid clay (slip) over the red body. Motifs include wavy lines, names, dates, birds, flowers, and tulips. Pennsylvania German potters excelled at this technique.
- Sgraffito: Decoration scratched through a coating of contrasting slip to reveal the red body beneath. Elaborate pictorial designs -- birds, horsemen, flowers, and inscriptions -- characterize the finest Pennsylvania German examples.
- Manganese-decorated: Dark brown or black splotches and drips from manganese dioxide added to the glaze, creating a mottled or spotted surface.
- Coggle-wheel decorated: Geometric border patterns impressed with a small toothed wheel.
Regional Traditions
Pennsylvania German redware from potters in Montgomery, Bucks, Berks, and Lancaster counties represents the pinnacle of the tradition. Named potters include John Neis, Samuel Troxel, David Spinner, John Leidy, and Georg Hubener. New England redware from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont tends toward simpler decoration. Southern redware traditions in Virginia, North Carolina, and the Shenandoah Valley have their own character and following.
Auction Price Ranges
| Category | Typical Range | Exceptional Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Plain utilitarian pieces | $30 - $150 | $300 for early dated examples |
| Simple slip-decorated plates | $200 - $800 | $1,500+ for strong decoration |
| Elaborate slip-trailed pie plates | $500 - $3,000 | $10,000+ for pictorial scenes |
| Sgraffito plates and chargers | $2,000 - $15,000 | $50,000+ for museum-quality examples |
| Manganese-decorated crocks | $75 - $300 | $600 for unusual forms |
| Figural pieces (banks, whistles) | $200 - $2,000 | $5,000+ for rare forms |
| Dated pieces with inscriptions | $500 - $5,000 | $20,000+ for important examples |
Condition Factors
Redware is fragile earthenware and rarely survives in perfect condition. Edge chips on plates and bowls are expected and tolerable if minor. Cracks significantly reduce value but do not eliminate it for rare examples. Lead glaze flaking is common, especially on interiors of vessels that held acidic foods. Slip decoration should be legible and intact -- worn or faded decoration substantially reduces value. Repairs, especially to sgraffito pieces, should be examined under UV light.
Collecting Tips
Provenance is particularly important for redware -- pieces with documented histories tying them to specific potters or families command substantial premiums. Reproductions and fakes are a significant concern in the redware market; Lester Breininger, a 20th-century potter, made high-quality reproductions that are collectible in their own right but should not be confused with period pieces. Study clay color, glaze wear patterns, and construction techniques to develop an eye for age. Museums with strong redware collections include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Winterthur, and the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.