Roudebush in Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
This circa 1815 sgraffito decorated red earthenware plate is unsigned, although the decorative technique is similar to some styles produced by Henry Roudebush or Roudebuth (circa 1792-1838) in Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, among other Pennsylvania-German potters working in southeastern Pennsylvania in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The plate is covered in a yellow slip with a sgraffito decorated flowering plant potted in an urn; the sgraffito decoration and other areas of the plate are also highlighted with a vibrant green glaze.
Some comparable plates representing the work of various potters, including Roudebush are owned by the Philadelphia Art Museum with flowers and urns being a popular type of design, This type of urn and flower sgraffito design was also manufactured by Samuel Troxel, Heirich Roth, Abraham Hubener, George Hubener, Conrad Mumbouer and John Leidy, among other potters in southeastern Pennsylvania. Some of the sgraffito designs are unmistakable for the work of a certain potter, while other designs are not as easy to identify. Pennsylvania sgraffito decorated wares have been sought out, and collected by major institutions for over a century, such as the Philadelphia Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and Winterthur Museum in Delaware, etc.
Current Exhibition: Sgraffito decorated wares from southeastern Pennsylvania are a major emphasis at Historic Trappe’s current exhibit, titled, From Hubener to Medinger: Redware Potters of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Item Date: Circa 1815
Measurement: Diameter: 9.35"
Material: Redware
Item Condition: Some chipping along the edge; restoration to two areas along the edge and a spot in the center.
Literature: For more information about sgraffito decorated wares made in southeastern Pennsylvania – see the 2025 issue of Americana Insights.
Price: $12,750
SKU 1120-162
For More Information, Please Contact David Hillier at 978-597-8084 or email drh@aaawt.com.
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