Old Pennsylvania Christian Link Redware Lead & Manganese Glazed Small Jelly Jar
Description: Antique small redware crock, Apple Butter or Preserve Jar with a lead and manganese dark brown glazed exterior and interior. The bottom of the crock is unglazed. The glaze inside and out is the typical dark brown colored glaze used by Christian Link. The glaze is very dark and shiny and is rather difficult to picture. Looking closely at the dark surface one can see the black colored specs within the glaze indicating manganese glaze was used. This wide mouth crock has a round flat base with flared rounded sides which end in a flat outwards projecting and slightly slanted downwards rim. The rim is also glazed with the same dark brown colored glaze used throughout. The interior of the crock is glazed and has some soiling or residue from use, which we did not attempt to clean. The piece is marked by the maker on the bottom. It is of nice size and would display very well in your collection of antique Pennsylvania redware pottery. Please carefully review the photos as they are part and parcel of our description.
Date: Mid 1800s or early 1900s.
Origin: Exeter Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Size: The jar measures ~3 5/8" in height, ~4" in diameter on top, and is ~2 3/4" in diameter at the base. The piece weighs slightly over 12 ounces.
Maker: Christian Link.
Marks: Impressed on the bottom in a hemispherical shape the name "C. LINK".
Distinguishing Characteristics - Most Interesting About The Piece: This a very nice Pennsylvania primitive antique crock with a beautiful appearance made by a well-known Pennsylvania German potter. An old piece of Pennsylvania redware which has survived for over 100 years made by a well-known Pennsylvania Potter. It deserves a prominent spot in any redware collection.
Condition: Crock is in very good condition given its age and utilitarian function. It has no hairlines, cracks, or repairs. It has general fine crazing to the glaze with minor spots of glaze losses around the rim and throughout the exterior as well as in the interior. The piece has a chip to the edge of the extended rim, which has been glazed over suggesting that it happened before the glazing and the final firing. This of course is original to the making (see last photo for details). The piece also has a few spots where the glaze is lost and the redware is exposed throughout. Finally, as is the case with all these primitive old redware pieces, the crock also has a few of the usual defects you would expect such as pops, slubs, unglazed areas, and uneven spots. Please see photos for additional condition information.
