The 2009 Rowe Pottery Historical Collection

This four-piece collection from Rowe Pottery of traditional blue and grey salt-glazed pottery replicates functional and beautiful items from America's earliest years. Choose from the Historic Wide-Mouth Pickling Jar, Jug, Pitcher, Platter or get the entire four-piece set.

A. Historic Wide Mouth Pickling Jar with Lid
Wide mouth jars are one of the most straight-forward pottery forms, but continue to have a utilitarian purpose in today’s world. Their most common purpose was for food storage, but the wide mouth jar became popular as the perfect container for the processing of pickled foods such as sauerkraut and cucumber pickles. In this form the mouth opening is slightly larger than the base complimented by two lug handles to assist in the lifting of the filled jar. The shape and mouth of this jar are characteristic of the JM Wilson Jar of 1860 from Texas. The domed hanging jar lid was particularly useful for pickling foods as it would rest inside the mouth of the jar to keep the contents submerged in the pickling solution.The lids of these jars were never tight and did not completely seal. Jar measures 8-1/4" high x 6-3/4" diameter at the widest point.

B. Historic Platter
All tableware including platters tended to be very rare pieces of historic pottery. Large platters were difficult for potters to make as they were very heavy when wheel turned and had a tendency to warp during firing. Tableware became more common when larger industrialized pottery shops began to form in the 1900’s. Our 2009 Historical Platter is a hand pressed piece with a slightly thicker rim to eliminate the common warping problem. This piece is a nice addition to this years classic forms as it was less prevalent in the times. Our platter was also designed with a dual purpose and can be hung on a wall, or displayed in a stand to suit the taste of any homeowner. Platter measures 13" in diameter.

C. Historic Pitcher
Pitchers are unique historic pottery pieces as they are considered tableware, and tableware was not commonly produced by potters. Our 2009 Historic Pitcher is generally referred to as a cylindrical pitcher. A straight sided cylinder with established traditional pitcher characteristics, a pulled pour spout with a handle affixed to the body on the opposite side portray the pitcher chosen for this years collection. The handle is a quintessential strap handle. Strap handles are formed by pulling the clay to the desired design, then cutting and attaching it to the pitcher. Most historic stoneware pitchers were decorated in cobalt blue and gray tones. Our pitcher is characteristic of a pitcher made by Meyer Pottery in Texas during the early 1900’s. Pitcher measures 6-1/4" high x 5-1/2" across the bottom.

D. Historic Jug with Cork
Jugs are probably the most common form of stoneware manufactured throughout history. The jug was designed as a liquid storage vessel and has a relatively small mouth which is commonly designed for a cork type closure. Our straight sided jug would have typically been used to store water, mineral water, hard liquor, wines, vinegars or oils. Jugs began to transition to straight sides and defined shoulders in the early 1900’s. The transition to this shape began when there was a transition from small family owned pottery shops to large industrialized shops. Shapes changed as the economics of production became more important. Jug measures 13" high x 5-1/2" across the bottom.