Tankard pitcher
Manufacturer Chesapeake Pottery American
This object is a representative example of the pottery’s "Severn" ware, distinctive for its drab-gray clay body with decoration in the Aesthetic style. The Chesapeake Pottery introduced "Severn" ware in 1885, and it was considered their most refined and creative of the various lines they offered. This work illustrates some of the typical elements found in most "Severn" ware, including bands of low-relief raised decoration of stylized circular motifs in a vaguely Renaissance-style and raised gold paste decoration of a meandering vine and leaf. Most unusual, however, is the allover transfer-printed decoration of a dense, flat, conventionalized floral pattern. The juxtaposition of various design elements and styles was a hallmark of the Aesthetic movement, and the best "Severn" ware objects embody this layering of motifs and decorative elements.
