The Bard Graduate Center recently hosted a lecture by Research Associate Dr. Laura Microulis on her research into American majolica. The lecture concentrated on the work of the Peekskill Pottery, Arsenal Pottery and Eureka pottery. While most of her work on the Peekskill Pottery and Arsenal Pottery was basically a repackaging of information which had been published before–both in this blog and in other reference material– her research on the Eureka Pottery was new and important.
Tenuous teapot from the Peekskill Pottery  Photo of the Mayer bros, founders of the Arsenal Pottery, from the Bard lecture |
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| M. Charles Rebert majolica reference |
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| Photo of "so called Eureka" wares from Rebert's American Majolica |
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| The most recent edition of the Mariann Katz-Marks book |
The Fan ice cream set bears none of the familiar characteristics of known, marked Eureka pieces. The glazes are different, the reverse is glazed differently and the design and craftsmanship is more sophisticated. I have actually wondered if this set was in fact English but all the known literature attributed the pieces to Eureka. It is actually an original design of Shorter & Boulton copied in America, but by who?
Dr. Microulis has uncovered the previously unknown existence of a major American majolica manufacturer who created these pieces. Willets was a large Trenton company best known for their American Belleek and art pottery. What was not known until recently was their contribution to American majolica.
In addition to work of the Willets Company, Dr. Microulis identified pottery shards in South Carolina which copied Eureka's molds. There doesn't seem to be any proof as yet that the South Carolina Pottery Co. created copies from these Eureka molds but the indication of the possibility of these copies is clear.
Dr. Microulis has uncovered the previously unknown existence of a major American majolica manufacturer who created these pieces. Willets was a large Trenton company best known for their American Belleek and art pottery. What was not known until recently was their contribution to American majolica.
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| Advertisement from Crockery & Glass 1882 listing the Fan Ice Cream Set featured in the Bard lecture. |
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| Pottery shards from the S.C. Pottery Co. (right) that copied the Eureka holiday plate |
There was one small error in the attribution of the Eureka Hare butter dish design. It is not an original design as Dr. Microulis claimed but a copy of a Wilhelm Schiller & Son design. Other companies copied this design as well so the confusion is understandable.
Eureka butter dish underplate showing the classic
Eureka mark and sponged reverse.
Eureka mark and sponged reverse.
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| Schiller & Sons caneware butter dish |
The lecture in its entirety can be viewed online here.
