Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2020.FIC.052.A |
Object Name |
Saucer |
Title |
Mercer Pottery Company Brown Floral Sprig Saucer 1 |
Description |
A white circular saucer featuring two brown floral sprigs on the front. The left sprig is upside down, with a few leaves and flowers. It includes two fully bloomed flowers near the bottom and five other flowers in bud, positioned just below the full blooms. The right sprig is right-side up and has more flowers and leaves. It showcases three full-bloom flowers near the center, surrounded by six smaller buds growing from the center blooms, with three additional buds on top. The left sprig has regular-sized leaves, while the right sprig contains a mix of normal and small-sized leaves. The front of the plate is slightly caved in, resulting in an elevated back with a slight rim separating the base from the rest of the back. Engraved on the base is the Mercer Pottery Company logo, which reads, "MERCER" at the top, followed by an image of a globe with a half-circle on the top and bottom, vertical lines running along the globe's length, and a rectangle in the center containing the word "WARRANTED." Beneath the globe is the word "CHINA." According to Edwin Atlee of the Trenton Historical Society, the Potteries of Trenton Society, and the book Mains and Fitzgerald's Trenton, Chambersburg, and Millham Directory, Mercer Pottery operated in Trenton from around 1865 or 1868 until either the 1930s or 1946. By 1875, James Moses owned the company and claimed to have developed the first semi-porcelain ware in the United States. Citations: Barber, E. A. (n.d.). Marks of American potters. Trenton Historical Society, New Jersey. https://www.trentonhistory.org/Made/Marks.html Mains, Bishop W. and Thomas F. Fitzgerald. 1877-1879. Mains and Fitzgerald’s Trenton, Chambersburg and Millham Directory: Containing the Names of the Citizens, Statistical Business Report, Historical Sketches, a List of the Public and Private Institutions, Together with National, State, County, and City Government. Bishop W. Mains & Thomas F. Fitzgerald, Trenton, New Jersey. Mercer Pottery. Potteries of Trenton Society. (n.d.-c). https://potteriesoftrentonsociety.org/research/records/mercer-pottery-2/ |
Year Range from |
1868 |
Year Range to |
1946 |
Material |
Ceramic |
Artist |
Mercer Pottery Company |
Diameter (in) |
5.750 |
Condition |
Good |
Condition Notes |
Overall: Paint cracking, abrasions, and accretions throughout. Front: There is paint cracking all over the plate. There are black accretions on the bottom near the middle. The left sprig is slightly faded near the bottom. There is an abrasion on the center near the middle. And finally, there is a black accretion on top near the middle. Back: The logo is faded. There is a little bit of wear around the inner rim. There is a black accretion on the center near the left side. There is an abrasion on the center near the left side. There is an abrasion on the bottom near the middle. There is a little bit of paint bleeding on the bottom of the base near the middle. And finally, there is a black accretion on the center near the middle. |
Inscription Type |
Manufacturer's Mark |
Inscription Location |
Back, Center, Middle |
Inscription Technique |
Etched |
Inscription Text |
"MERCER" Line 1 "WARRANTED" Line 2 "CHINA" Line 3 |
People |
James Moses |
Classification |
Domestic Life/Household Goods Business & Commerce |
Subjects |
Ceramic industry Flowers Plants Plant parts |
Search Terms |
Trenton Ceramic Saucer Flowers Bloom Leaves Mercer Pottery Company Globe Warranted China John Moses White Brown Floral Sprig 1865 1868 1939 1930s 19th Century 20th Century Mercer County Mercer Pottery Company Brown Floral Sprig Saucer |
Provenance |
Found in collection |