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Uses antique crocks
Crocks Antique were perfect for storing home-cooked food from yeast to pickles, to cookies. One of the distinctive 19th century crocks from New York feature a cobalt blue decoration of a chicken which is pecking at corn.
Value antique crocks
When older family members passed away, the lot of their possessions which the heirs did not want were sold at a typical auction scene in small farmhouses. Reddish brown jars which contain splotches on them are antique designs from five different potteries which were popular in Connecticut in the 19th century. Clarkson Crolius from New York designed crocks which were engraved with “Manhattan Wells” with the floral decorations. While many families did not understand the wealth of the pieces which the older generations had collected, small farmhouse auctions during the 1940s did not value the worth of redware nor recognize that it’s was more valuable than an eight-sided Empire table made out of mahogany.
Types antique crocks
Redware crocks were part of the Crolius pottery from the 18th century until 1870. For three decades this potting family and its rival potters the Remneys created stoneware whose durability is proven by the lasting crocks found today. The date and name attached to these pieces might excite certain collectors, but there are other pieces made at later dates by potters with a less renowned name which offer the same aesthetic qualities. Adam Caire was the son of an Alsatian potter whose work is marked by the simple yet poignant “Adam Caire, Po’keepsie, N.Y.”. These are desirable pieces because of their free hand designs out of cobalt blue as well as the realistic and original style. The crocks created by Caire were originally four gallons and could have been used for lard or butter receptacles or preserving eggs in water glass to shield them against winter. Many will see these antique crocks as wastepaper baskets or used for a jardinière.
Bricks are a subsidiary of redware which was the first pottery type known to man and categorized in the story about Rebecca in the Bible. This is a more porous and softer type of stoneware. To create these crocks out of redware, one needed a grinding mill to use on the clay, a potter’s wheel to shape the crock, and a kiln for firing. These crocks were either glazed on the inside or outside, and sometimes both. The potters would at times inscribe his name into the soft clay, though many pieces lack a date or inscription.
Conversely, stoneware would often bare the mark of the maker. The composition is harder than redware crocks, made out of a fine and dense clay which, when fired, boasts the consistency of porcelain. The outer glaze can be attained by integrating salt into the kiln when it is at high heat. Despite the durability, redware remained more popular until after the 17th century. The ceramic looking stoneware crocks utilize bright colours and create a focal point for any kitchen.
Techniques and Patterns
One technique used was the stressed look which occurred when potters relied on the natural pattern of crack lines. More advanced designs contained muted colours on flowers, fruit, cottages, animals, or roses. A popular design is a garland around the bottom the crock which is made out of forget-me-nots in blue. Another flower design is a bouquet created out of small flowers which create a central decoration. The decorations for another collector’s piece display a U-shaped flower strand created by a pink phlox and leaves. There are many cottage scenes to be found on antique crocks, particularly smaller cottages which are tucked away among a tangle of flowers. Antique rose designs can be found with bouquets of yellow, red, and pink roses. There are artistic crocks whose bases are lined with various red strawberries, red apples, and peaches. Some designs still display bird houses with content-looking occupants, found among a detailed garden of flowers placed below.
Locating pieces from these time periods conjures the images of an easier, or at least less stressed lifestyle with the backbreaking and difficult challenges of retaining food throughout the year. No matter the style or colour, stoneware and redware remain the two major types of antique crocks for which each collector should search.
