Jar

Thomas W. Commeraw|David Morgan

1796–1819 · Stoneware · The American Wing

This vessel was made by Thomas W. Commeraw, a free African American potter working in Manhattan's Lower East Side during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Commeraw operated a kiln in Corlears Hook, the area along the shoreline of the East River now between the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridge. Like most stoneware of the period, Commeraw's vessels were largely utilitarian and embellished with incised decoration accented with a cobalt glaze. The distinctive foliate design found on both sides of this jar are typical of Commeraw's wares and distinguish his vessels from those of other New York City potters of the early 19th century. Commeraw's is the largest body of work by a free Black potter during the antebellum period.

Artist

Thomas W. Commeraw|David Morgan

Date

1796–1819

Medium

Stoneware

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1918