One of the primary objectives at The
Workshops of David T. Smith is to have their furniture
reflect the look and feel of original antique pieces
found in museums and private collections.
For example, a close look within a museum
of American furniture would show that each piece has its
own personality. The figure of the wood and
craftsmanship of the piece would have been determined on
the day that it was made. The surface of the piece
would have been determined by how well the piece had
been taken care of over the years. Some pieces may have
stayed in the same family and house for 200 years, while
others may have been painted several times and received
hard use in a tavern or store.
Because these antique pieces are
constructed of solid wood and have experienced the
changing seasons, it is likely that you will see
shrinkage and expansion in these museum pieces.
Sometimes you might even see small cracks and splits in
the sides and panels of chests, or in the tops of
tables.
Since they strive to have their pieces
reflect the feeling of actual antiques, customers
considering a purchase of these fine products from
Our American Heritage stores or their internet
site must understand that the furniture could have the same
tendency to warp, contract, expand, or split. These
similarities between antiques and David Smith's furniture may not
be desired but should be expected and tolerated.
The
furniture is made out of a material that was once alive,
and it will always have some seasonal movement. Normal
problems such as these should not be repaired as they
reflect the nature of such an authentically made
reproduction.
Furniture made by The David Smith Workshops that
needs repair work or refinishing from abnormal use or
abuse, can be repaired/refinished at the standard shop
rate.
ABOUT
DIMENSIONS; COLORS / STAINS; HARDWARE; PHOTO
REPRESENTATIONS
We provide overall dimensions, these dimensions
are to help with placing the furniture piece within your
home. Because our pieces are hand-made, these published
dimensions are not meant to be exact.
We offer several finishes on our Classic
Furniture pieces.
The finish and color samples, shown
are used to show
approximate color and age.
Because of the variation of color in printing, and the
varying qualities of computer monitors, you should be
aware that there will be some color variance from
catalog or computer samples to the actual finish sample.
Due to the difference in natural wood
grain and hand glazing on painted and stained finishes,
you should also expect variances from our small actual
wood finish samples to the finished product. An “exact”
match is not possible.
Pottery
Turtle Creek Pottery is handmade and
individually decorated, so there will be variations in
size and color. The lead glazes on
David Smith's pottery
makes the pottery suitable for decorative use only.
Turtle Creek Studios of David T. Smith
THE POTTERY MAKERS - FORMS
The forms used are universal, and have been used for centuries.
Slab-formed
pottery uses clay, rolled out into “slabs” and pressed/draped onto
wooden molds to create plates, platters, and trenchers. Thrown forms
such as plates, pots, and bowls are individually created from a ball of
clay on the potter’s wheel.
Hand-built items
are sculpted from the raw clay, and are usually animal or human figures
that were probably made to amuse a child.
DECORATIONS
Several decorating methods are used on Turtle
Creek Pottery. Quilling,
slip trailing, sponging, and sgraffito are all techniques that you will
see on David Smith's pottery.
The simplest of
methods, Quilling, uses a cup with feather quills to drizzle white slip
clay onto a wet slab of clay that will be drape molded to make a plate.
Slip trailing is a similar technique that uses a quill cup with a single
quill. The slip (liquid clay) is then applied on a dry plate or pot in
a more intricate raised design.
Sponging is a
spontaneous style decoration that can be done multicolored on yellow
slip background or single manganese sponged on red clay.
Sgraffito is the
most detailed of all. After slip is applied to the pottery, a pointed
tool is used to scratch a fine design through the slip into the red
clay. Sometimes splashes of copper or manganese are put over these
designs to add color.
 THE
REGIONS
If you are a pottery student you will notice some European pieces in David
Smith's collection. Polychrome English Delft, German Slip-ware, and French-style pots
are represented, but the focus of the collection is American.
Redware was made all
over America, but every region had its own look - Connecticut, for its
Norwalk Pottery with its large flowing letters. North Carolina had the
Moravians who detailed the flowing slip-trailed flowers on jars and plates.
The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is famous for the Bell Pottery and its
Lions. However, the most famous and prolific area for Redware pottery was
Eastern Pennsylvania where the immigrant German population produced this art
until the end of the 19th Century.
Redware Pottery History
New England/Authentic Reproduction
The 18th and 19th century pottery of
New England was plainly decorated, utilitarian ware.
These pots were thrown with finely detailed handles,
lids and incised lines. The pot decoration was usually a
simple slip decoration that could have been simple black
manganese to yellow slip with multicolor slips sealed
with a lead glaze. The slip trailed name plates from the
Smith Pottery in Norwalk, Connecticut are the
inspiration for our plates with writing.
The potters of Pennsylvania were the
most prolific and artistic of all American Redware
potters. Their forms were thrown, slabbed, coiled and
hand built. Their decoration consisted of simple solid
color glazes, to the multicolored, very detailed slip
trailed and sgraffito ware highly prized by collectors
today. The simple red slab plate with the yellow, wavy
slip lines is also a classic Pennsylvania pottery form.
The potters of the Shenandoah Valley
in Virginia are known for their mottled yellow slip,
copper, and manganese decorated flower pots. The most
famous potter family from this region was the Bell
family. A large hand built yellow slip decorated Bell
lion is a classic of American redware pottery. They also
made many pottery forms such as jars, flower pots, and
pottery for daily use by the people of this valley.
The potters of Old Salem, North
Carolina came from Pennsylvania and central Europe.
Their pottery consisted of thrown plates and jars and
molded or cast animal bottles. These plates and pots
were usually slip trail decorated over a red or yellow
background.
The earliest American potters of the
17th century brought their trade from England, Germany,
and Europe; bringing with them their respective styles
and techniques. As you learn more about American
Redware, you will see the similarities in the forms and
decoration to this European pottery.
We use many historical sources to
inspire our "Folk Art" pottery. Designs from period
fireboards, paintings, hooked rugs, needlework,
frakturs, wall paintings, and quilts have all been used
for our pottery designs. One of our most popular "Folk
Art" design pottery styles is our "Bears and Pears"
pottery. It is used mostly on pots and lamps. It was
inspired by a fireboard in a New York museum
Southern/Authentic Reproduction
When most people think of
traditional Southern pottery, the first thing that comes
to mind are "Face Jugs". Folk lore tells us that these
jugs were made by African American slaves to drive away
evil spirits. These free spirited pots all have a unique
personality and are usually named.
Frontier/Authentic Reproduction
The redware pottery of the Mid West is
usually very plain in style and decoration. This simple
pottery was a staple for daily use and was seldom, if
ever, decorated.
Redstone
Our "Redstone Pottery" has the look of
salt glazed stoneware, but is actually earthenware
pottery with a grey slip covering with typical cobalt
blue decoration. We use the floral and animal designs as
seen on 18th and 19th century stoneware. Authentic salt
glaze pottery is very expensive today. Our Redstone
pottery can complement your salt glaze collection. Our
Redstone lamps are always popular at the folk art shows
in which we participate.
English Delftware
Our Delftware has the look of
traditional English tin glazed Delftware, but is
actually made of Redware pottery with a white slip base
coat, that is decorated with a polychrome slip
decoration. We use the same thrown plates, chargers,
pots, and apothecary jar forms seen on the English
pieces. The decorations are also similar. Florals,
oriental scenes, Adam & Eve, and portraits of William &
Mary are all common designs that we use on these pieces.
Seasonal
We make a variety of pieces that are
decorated to celebrate various holidays and seasons.
Christmas, Halloween, and 4th of July are all seasons
that are featured on our work. Our Christmas and
Halloween pottery can have detailed Folk Art scenes
showing people and much detail; or, can simply say
"Merry Christmas" or "Happy Halloween". Turtlecreek's
red, white and blue Patriotic flag pottery is also very
popular.
Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities
(SPNEA)
The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities
(SPNEA) is a museum of
cultural history which collects and preserves buildings, landscapes, and
objects that reflect New England’s daily life between the the mid 17th
century and the present. Founded in 1910 to protect New England’s cultural
and architectural heritage, SPNEA’s vast collection of furniture, paintings,
decorative arts, and household objects – many on view in their original
locations at the historic houses – documents 350 years of domestic life in
New England.
We
are proud to be licensed to reproduce furniture, and redware
pottery, from the SPNEA collections of Cogswell Grant and Beauport. Through
our research on visits to the museums, and using drawings and photos, our
reproductions are exact handmade reproductions of the original pieces.
Our American Heritage carries a large selection
of David Smith Pottery and Lamps. |
