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Barber, Edwin Atlee, 1851-1916 / Tulip ware of the Pennsylvania-German potters : an historical sketch of the art of slip-decoration in the United States
(1903)
E.A.B.
Preface, pp. 3-4
Page 3
PREFACE The existence of the ancient art of Slip-Decoration in America was not known to ceramic students until the year 1891, when the present writer's attention was first attracted to the subject, while gathering material for "The Pottcry a(d Porcelain of the United States," through the purchase of a red earthenware pie plate. This piece, embellished with floral and bird devices in the sgraffito style, and an inscription in% German, with date 1826 (see illustration 66), was at first sup- posed to be an example of European workmanship, but care- ful examination revealed the fact that some of the words scratched in the border were in Pennsylvania "Dutch." From this clew a series of investigations was instituted which resulted in the interesting discovery that this curious art, which had been brought from Germany, was flourishing in Eastern Pennsylvania before the middle of the eighteenth century. Through the liberality of Mr. John T. Morris, of Phila- delphia, the Pennsylvania Museum acquired the collection of Pennsylvania-German slip-decorated ware formed by the writer for the purpose of illustrating the work above men- tioned. Around this, as a nucleus, have been gathered many additional examples, showing the best work of the old Penn- sylvania-German potters. This collection is now the most representative and complete of its kind that has ever been brought together, as it was formed before other investigators were aware that slip-decorated pottery had been made in this country. Many of these pieces were procured from the de- scendants of the makers, and, through information obtained from their recent owners, are known to have come from particular potteries. 3
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