Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2020.FIC.089 |
Object Name |
Bowl, Eating |
Title |
Mercer Pottery Company Pink and Yellow Floral Bowl |
Description |
The bowl is white and circular, featuring a gold rim and a floral pattern on the top. The pattern consists of dark blue lines at both the top and bottom, each containing blue circles. Between these lines, pink and white flowers with purple branching stems are set against a light pink background. This design is interrupted five times by purple and light blue flowers with green leaves on a yellow background. A dark blue curvy line separates the two sections of the pattern. Around the rim of the base, there is another gold circle. The front of the bowl is slightly caved in, which causes the back to be elevated. A rim separates the base from the rest of the back. At the center of the base, there is a green Mercer County Pottery logo. The logo features a shield with a crown on top, a sash running down the front of the shield with the word "MERCER" on it, and two plus signs flanking the sash. Beneath the logo, there is a gold "M." 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 |
1865 |
Year Range to |
1946 |
Material |
Ceramic |
Artist |
Mercer Pottery Company |
Diameter (in) |
7.500 |
Condition |
Good |
Condition Notes |
Overall: Abrasions, accretions, and paint cracking throughout. Front: There is slight paint cracking all over the white portion of the plate. Back: There are two abrasions on the bottom near the left and center. There is a brown accretion on the bottom near the left. There is a black accretion on the bottom near the right. There is a black accretion on top near the left. There is slight paint cracking all over the bowl. And finally, there is a chip on the rim on the center portion of the left. |
Inscription Type |
Manufacturer's Mark |
Inscription Location |
Back, Center, Middle |
Inscription Technique |
Stamped |
Inscription Text |
"Mercer" Line 1 "M" Line 2 |
People |
James Moses |
Classification |
Domestic Life/Household Goods Business & Commerce |
Subjects |
Ceramic Industry Flowers Food Plants Plant parts |
Search Terms |
John Moses White Plants Trenton Mercer County Flowers Pink Purple Blue 19th Century 20th Century 1868 1939 Trenton New Jersey Ceramic Bowl Eating Yellow Eating Bowl Mercer Pottery Company Mercer Pottery Company Pink and Yellow Floral Bowl |
Provenance |
Found in collection |