Lafayette & Jackson Slip-Decorated Redware Loaf Dish
Norwalk, Connecticut, circa 1824 - 14⅜ x 10½ inches
 
An exceedingly rare slip-decorated redware loaf dish, made in Norwalk, Connecticut and inscribed in bold yellow slip, “Lafayette & Jackson,” beneath a clear lead glaze. Of rectangular form with rounded corners and a coggled edge, the dish is distinguished by its rich ochre-red ground and expansive calligraphic inscription, among the rarest political slogans encountered on American redware. Produced during Lafayette’s celebrated Farewell Tour of 1824–25, the inscription unites two of the most resonant figures of the era, Marquis de Lafayette and Andrew Jackson, at the moment of Jackson’s first presidential campaign and Lafayette’s final triumphal progress through the United States.
 
Politically inscribed redware of the late eighteenth through mid-nineteenth century is often difficult to date with precision, as such wares were produced both for active campaigns and later commemorative use. Here, however, the conjunction of Lafayette and Jackson firmly situates the dish in 1824, when Lafayette’s American visit coincided directly with Jackson’s first presidential campaign. While the greater part of politically themed ceramics of the period were imported from England, this example was made in America, during the campaign itself, and survives as an exceptionally rare domestic expression of early national political culture. Political ceramics bearing Lafayette’s name are themselves scarce; examples coupling Lafayette and Jackson are of the utmost rarity, with only one other example presently known. Distinguished by its scale and bold execution, the present dish stands among the most significant politically inscribed examples of American redware known.
 
Provenance: David Wheatcroft.
 
Condition: Light surface wear and minor residue to the interior; a shallow ¾-inch chip to one reverse corner, with minor edge chipping.