One of the stars of the exhibition is the John Bell coffee pot thrown in a Pennsylvania-German manner and coated with a cream-colored tin glaze. The pitcher is decorated in a manner reminiscent of the spatterware imported into the region, with its edges bordered in green and a large brown central floral decoration highlighted by green tulip buds.
:Splashed with vibrantly colored glazes, on occasion decorated with unique molded motifs and sometimes fashioned into whimsical animal forms, the unmistakable Nineteenth Century redware and stoneware pottery produced in the Shenandoah Valley has long been near and dear to the hearts of collectors. Playful in their nature, exquisite in their forms and delightful in presentation, these fanciful pots regularly blur the boundaries of a plain and simple utilitarian ware — often transcending into the highly coveted folk art arena.
While more than 300 potters are known to have produced pottery in the culturally diverse Shenandoah Valley region from the late Eighteenth Century to the early Twentieth Century, one potting family stands out from the rest in terms of output and artistic merit. And from that family, one potter — John Bell — stands tall among them.
"The Bell Family Pottery," an exhibition on view at the Washington County Museum of Fine Art through November 2, explores the legacy of all of the different family members and the unique flair with which they created their wares. Featuring more than 100 examples of the best known examples of Bell pottery, the exhibition is curated by scholar, auction liaison, antiques dealer and pottery aficionado John C. Newcomer.
"If you are a pottery lover, this is a must-see," proclaims Newcomer. "This exhibition is one of the most, if not
the
most, important and complete collections of Bell family pottery to have ever been assembled. It is an important visual record illustrating all of the known marks used by the Bells, and the 12 showcases are filled with great forms, great colors and great objects," he said. "Every maker from the Bell family is represented, and several pieces of them are the only examples that are known to exist."
"The magnificent figure of a dog with basket in mouth is awe-inspiring,” stated Shenandoah pottery expert Dr Eugene Comstock during a previous exhibit. "Undoubtedly this is one of America's most outstanding ceramic animal figures of all times. This John Bell-attributed form is robust and intriguing with its basketful of jugs and provisions.”
Born in 1775, Peter Bell was operating a potting shop in Hagerstown by 1808 and was listed in the town records from the period as one of four known potteries extensively involved in the trade. Operating there until 1824, Peter relocated to Winchester, Va., where he worked until 1845. The father of the Bell family then moved back to Hagerstown and constructed a house and pottery where he remained until his death two years later. The site is the now the home of the Renfrew Museum, which, coincidentally, houses a major collection of Bell pottery.
Each of Peter's four sons pursued the pottery trade; the eldest, John, was born in 1800; followed by brothers Samuel, 1811; Solomon, 1817; and Upton (date unknown). Remarkably, the great tradition of Bell family potters continued for 100 years, eventually involving and ending with the third generation.
Born in Hagerstown, John Bell became one of America's preeminent potters, using glazes and techniques that many scholars believe are unsurpassed in American earthenware ceramics of the period. Although John learned the trade from his father, he advanced his knowledge by developing innovative recipes for different glazes and learning new techniques.
After apprenticing under his father in Hagerstown where the concepts of the German Eighteenth Century pottery were instilled in him, he married in 1826 and relocated to Chambersburg where he worked until 1833. It was there, working with Jacob Heart, that he learned the English ceramic molding techniques that would later become so popular in all of the Bell family pottery wares.
