Antique Federal 1826 - 1838 Classic TUCKER Philadelphia Pitcher
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:8410 | Type: Pitchers |
| Maker: Tucker | Style: American Empire |
| Original/Reproduction: Original | Age: 1800-1849 |
| Country/Region of Origin: United States |
*an important example of Federal Era porcelain!
TUCKER, PHILADELPHIA-
~ ~ ~ VASE-SHAPE PITCHER ~ ~ ~
-
1826-1838-
"a classic Tucker form"
originally founded circa 1826 as
American China Manufactory
by William Ellis Tucker (1800-1832), the firm subsequently operated as: -
Tucker & Hulme, 1828-1829William Tucker, 1829-1831
Tucker & Hemphill, 1832-1837
Thomas Tucker, 1837-1838
9 1/2" height, to top of handle3 3/4" diameter of basemarked "...F" on base
Based on research conducted at the Philadelphia Museum of Art years ago after originally acquiring this piece, I determined that the "F" is the mark of a Tucker artisan, decorator Charles Frederick.
The condition is very good, perhaps fine, with very slight wear to the stripe of gold decoration on the handle.No chips, cracks, lines, etc. Perfect interior. In various museum, auction, and dealer descriptions I have seen the identical coloring of the band below the rim described as peach, salmon, and tan.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
One of the most renowned of the Tucker forms, the so-called vase-shape pitcher is identified at no. 7 in one of the surviving Tucker pattern books. Another page from a Tucker pattern book on the web site of the Philaadelphia Museum of Art illustrates two pitchers numbered 42 and 43. Some descriptions refer to the "strap handle" and "reeded foot." This design was unique to the Tucker atelier, a signature item.
"Fashionable European porcelains provided the inspiration for nearly all the decorative objects and tablewares William Ellis tucker produced at his Philadelphia porcelain works, but this pitcher is an example of the one new form Tucker evolved. Its compact rounded body, high loop handle, and fluted base, although certainly expressive of the late neoclassical period in general, combine is a way that has not been found in pitchers from any other factory." --Marshall B. Davidson and Elizabeth Stillinger, The American Wing. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1985
Although this form was one of Tucker's best-sellers, the vast majority of the surviving examples seen in museum collections and on the art market have floral, initialed, or scenic decoration. The precise coloring of the present example is definitely a rarity.
"The William Ellis Tucker China Manufactory, one of a handful of early American companies trying to create porcelain equal to that of Europe, produced fine wares for 12 years, from 1826 to 1838. Tucker was the first to produce high-quality porcelain on a commercial scale in America. Against all odds, it succeeded briefly and then failed, largely because of competition from cheaper tariff-free imports." -- The New York Times, Wendy Noonan, January 28, 2005.
References:
Alice CooneyFrelinghuysen, American Porcelain1770-1920. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989. The vase-shapepitcher is discussed and illustrated as entry 10, pages 90-91.Alice CooneyFrelinghuysen, Tucker Porcelain, Philadelphia, 1826-1838. The Magazine Antiques, April 1989. The Tuckerproducts and the family’s two hand-drawn books are covered on pages 918-929.Wendy A. Cooper. Classical Taste in America 1800-1840. Baltimore Museum of Art, 1993. Tucker porcelain is discussed and illustrated pages 182-183.Marshall B. Davidson and Elizabeth Stillinger, The American Wing. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1985. Tucker porcelain is illustrated and discussed on pages 238-240.
Betty C. Monkman. The White House; Its Historic Furnishings and First Families. White House Historical Association. 2000. Tucker pieces are discussed pages 91-92 and 241. According to the catalog entry on page 305, a pitcher variation known as the "Walker shape, " named after Tucker craftsman Andrew Craig Walker, was originally priced at $1 each. After receiving a gift of various tablewares, an impressed President Jackson wrote to Tucker that "I was not apprised before of the perfection to which your skill and perseverance had brought this branch of American manufacture. It seems to be not inferior to the finest specimens of French porcelain."Clement E. Conger and Alenandra W. Rollins. Treasures of State; Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U. S. Department of State. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1991. The Tucker firm's struggle against market dominance by foreign manufacturers is discussed on page 254. Two vase-shape pitchers in the collection are illustrated and discussed as entry 181 on page 290.
At Auction:A pair of vase-shape Tucker pitchers with identical gilt decoration and tan/salmon band under the rim, from the collection of Philip H. Hammerslough, sold as lot 224 on January 17, 2015 at Pook & Pook, Downington PA.
Collections:
The Philadelphia Museum of Art. This is the largest trove of Tucker porcelain in the world, with over 500 pieces.
Their objects range from monumental vases and complete dinner sets to small, personal mementoes of the Tucker family and Thomas Tucker’s coveted pattern and recipt books recording factory production from 1832 to 1838. Among the some twenty-seven vase-shape Tucker pitchers in this formidable collection there is not an example with coloring matching the present example, an indication of this example's rarity.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The Ima Hogg Bayou Bend Collection has what appears to be a vase-shape Tucker pitcher with coloring and decoration identical to the present example. In addition, that collection has nine other pitchers with multi-color floral decoration.
The Carroll Mansion, 800 E. Lombard Street, Baltimore. About twenty years ago I photographed an identically decorated and colored vase-shape Tucker pitcher displayed in the dining room of this Federal Era 1811 historic house museum.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Of the two vase-shaped Tucker pitchers in this collection one has a spout with similar decoration to the present example, but with a landscape scene within a rectangular panel on the side. The other has an unadorned spout and simple multi-color spring motif on the side.
Art Institute of Chicago. A pair of vase-shape Tucker pitchers in this collection have floral bouquets within gold wreathes on the sides and are dated 1831-38.
Brooklyn Museum. A vase-shape Tucker pitcher with floral decoration is dated 1830.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Although fourteen vase-shape Tucker pitchers in their collection have floral decoration, an additional single pitcher with a different form appears to have similar tan band decoration under the rim.
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. A vase-shape Tucker pitcher with multi-color floral decoration in their collection is identified as made by Charles Frederick.
Provenance:
I purchased this about thirty years ago from a dealer (now deceased) near Jewett City, Connecticut. It has remained in my collection since then and is the last of my Tucker pieces.
My family has been in the antiques and design business since 1955!
International Buyers Please Note:
Import duties, taxes and charges are notincluded in the item
price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's
responsibility.
Please check with your country's customs office to determine what
these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.
These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight
(shipping) company or when you pick the item up – do not confuse
them for additional shipping charges.
TUCKER, PHILADELPHIA-
~ ~ ~ VASE-SHAPE PITCHER ~ ~ ~
-
1826-1838-
"a classic Tucker form"
originally founded circa 1826 as
American China Manufactory
by William Ellis Tucker (1800-1832), the firm subsequently operated as: -
Tucker & Hulme, 1828-1829William Tucker, 1829-1831
Tucker & Hemphill, 1832-1837
Thomas Tucker, 1837-1838
9 1/2" height, to top of handle3 3/4" diameter of basemarked "...F" on base
Based on research conducted at the Philadelphia Museum of Art years ago after originally acquiring this piece, I determined that the "F" is the mark of a Tucker artisan, decorator Charles Frederick.
The condition is very good, perhaps fine, with very slight wear to the stripe of gold decoration on the handle.No chips, cracks, lines, etc. Perfect interior. In various museum, auction, and dealer descriptions I have seen the identical coloring of the band below the rim described as peach, salmon, and tan.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
One of the most renowned of the Tucker forms, the so-called vase-shape pitcher is identified at no. 7 in one of the surviving Tucker pattern books. Another page from a Tucker pattern book on the web site of the Philaadelphia Museum of Art illustrates two pitchers numbered 42 and 43. Some descriptions refer to the "strap handle" and "reeded foot." This design was unique to the Tucker atelier, a signature item.
"Fashionable European porcelains provided the inspiration for nearly all the decorative objects and tablewares William Ellis tucker produced at his Philadelphia porcelain works, but this pitcher is an example of the one new form Tucker evolved. Its compact rounded body, high loop handle, and fluted base, although certainly expressive of the late neoclassical period in general, combine is a way that has not been found in pitchers from any other factory." --Marshall B. Davidson and Elizabeth Stillinger, The American Wing. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1985
Although this form was one of Tucker's best-sellers, the vast majority of the surviving examples seen in museum collections and on the art market have floral, initialed, or scenic decoration. The precise coloring of the present example is definitely a rarity.
"The William Ellis Tucker China Manufactory, one of a handful of early American companies trying to create porcelain equal to that of Europe, produced fine wares for 12 years, from 1826 to 1838. Tucker was the first to produce high-quality porcelain on a commercial scale in America. Against all odds, it succeeded briefly and then failed, largely because of competition from cheaper tariff-free imports." -- The New York Times, Wendy Noonan, January 28, 2005.
References:
Alice CooneyFrelinghuysen, American Porcelain1770-1920. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989. The vase-shapepitcher is discussed and illustrated as entry 10, pages 90-91.Alice CooneyFrelinghuysen, Tucker Porcelain, Philadelphia, 1826-1838. The Magazine Antiques, April 1989. The Tuckerproducts and the family’s two hand-drawn books are covered on pages 918-929.Wendy A. Cooper. Classical Taste in America 1800-1840. Baltimore Museum of Art, 1993. Tucker porcelain is discussed and illustrated pages 182-183.Marshall B. Davidson and Elizabeth Stillinger, The American Wing. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1985. Tucker porcelain is illustrated and discussed on pages 238-240.
Betty C. Monkman. The White House; Its Historic Furnishings and First Families. White House Historical Association. 2000. Tucker pieces are discussed pages 91-92 and 241. According to the catalog entry on page 305, a pitcher variation known as the "Walker shape, " named after Tucker craftsman Andrew Craig Walker, was originally priced at $1 each. After receiving a gift of various tablewares, an impressed President Jackson wrote to Tucker that "I was not apprised before of the perfection to which your skill and perseverance had brought this branch of American manufacture. It seems to be not inferior to the finest specimens of French porcelain."Clement E. Conger and Alenandra W. Rollins. Treasures of State; Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U. S. Department of State. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1991. The Tucker firm's struggle against market dominance by foreign manufacturers is discussed on page 254. Two vase-shape pitchers in the collection are illustrated and discussed as entry 181 on page 290.
At Auction:A pair of vase-shape Tucker pitchers with identical gilt decoration and tan/salmon band under the rim, from the collection of Philip H. Hammerslough, sold as lot 224 on January 17, 2015 at Pook & Pook, Downington PA.
Collections:
The Philadelphia Museum of Art. This is the largest trove of Tucker porcelain in the world, with over 500 pieces.
Their objects range from monumental vases and complete dinner sets to small, personal mementoes of the Tucker family and Thomas Tucker’s coveted pattern and recipt books recording factory production from 1832 to 1838. Among the some twenty-seven vase-shape Tucker pitchers in this formidable collection there is not an example with coloring matching the present example, an indication of this example's rarity.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The Ima Hogg Bayou Bend Collection has what appears to be a vase-shape Tucker pitcher with coloring and decoration identical to the present example. In addition, that collection has nine other pitchers with multi-color floral decoration.
The Carroll Mansion, 800 E. Lombard Street, Baltimore. About twenty years ago I photographed an identically decorated and colored vase-shape Tucker pitcher displayed in the dining room of this Federal Era 1811 historic house museum.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Of the two vase-shaped Tucker pitchers in this collection one has a spout with similar decoration to the present example, but with a landscape scene within a rectangular panel on the side. The other has an unadorned spout and simple multi-color spring motif on the side.
Art Institute of Chicago. A pair of vase-shape Tucker pitchers in this collection have floral bouquets within gold wreathes on the sides and are dated 1831-38.
Brooklyn Museum. A vase-shape Tucker pitcher with floral decoration is dated 1830.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Although fourteen vase-shape Tucker pitchers in their collection have floral decoration, an additional single pitcher with a different form appears to have similar tan band decoration under the rim.
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. A vase-shape Tucker pitcher with multi-color floral decoration in their collection is identified as made by Charles Frederick.
Provenance:
I purchased this about thirty years ago from a dealer (now deceased) near Jewett City, Connecticut. It has remained in my collection since then and is the last of my Tucker pieces.
My family has been in the antiques and design business since 1955!
International Buyers Please Note:
Import duties, taxes and charges are notincluded in the item
price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's
responsibility.
Please check with your country's customs office to determine what
these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.
These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight
(shipping) company or when you pick the item up – do not confuse
them for additional shipping charges.
