What was this pot/pitcher used for ?

[OLDZ06]

It has no spout and you can see it was on some kind of stove or heat. Also check out the wire cut off marks on the bottom. Hand made for sure. Its about 5" tall and 6"wide. Just thought I would post it for some conversation.  Some type of a cooking pot ? Maybe it had a lid at one time ? Any ideas ?

[talesofthesevenseas]

I think that is just from being fired in the kiln, but someone with more experience in ceramics should comment on that.

[OLDZ06]

I could be wrong but I am pretty sure the black is from being used on some kind stove/heat from cooking. Here is a picture of two pitchers and one bottom is more black then the other. Now I want to know more about this.

[regularjoe2]

I like your pottery items , OLDZ06 .

My guess is that the large , coffee-junkie-sized/shaped item could well be used as a soup tureen & bean pot , for oven use .

The two other items seem sorta SouthWest in design - where did you get these items ?

[OLDZ06]

They came direct shipped to me from Germany. I once had a contact person their that would contact me when they found items that interested me such has these. He searched flea markets and old homes for these items.  I have a few more to post. Some times I would open a package and just get a surprize. A few times the items got broke thru shipping . Most of my large bowls came from an auction near me and he would go over to visit his relation and bring back stuff from germany . He did this one or twice and I think I bought just about everyone he had

[OLDZ06]

I just found out that the black on the bottoms of my old pottery is from a coal or wood stove and not from the firing process in the kiln. I asked some pottery makers if they would have been the same color of the clay after the firing process and the answers  were >
1. Yes they would have been the clay color after firing. I would say they were used on a coal or wood stove.
2. The only way they'd be black on the bottom coming out of the kiln is if the clay body itself was very dark (and I do know of a black stoneware clay body, but it's pretty rare) or if the potter painted a dark mineral stain---like black iron oxide---on them before firing. Bare clay pieces fired in raku are often smoked black, but that's a very low-temperature firing, and not used for functional ware because the pieces will absob moisture, and are fragile.

I'm also going with the coal/wood stove scenario!

[cogar]

I just found out that the black on the bottoms of my old pottery is from a coal or wood stove

OLDZ06, I don't think that I will agree with that assessment.

Coal and wood stoves are black because they put Stove Blacking on them and it doesn't "rub off" that easy after it has been polished. And it will "burn off" the cooking surface. But now if one placed one over an open fire, then yes, it would probably get black on the bottom.

Old stoneware has a "habit" of getting "black" and/or "black" splotches on the bottom after years n' years of use and sitting around. Molds and mildews are the likely problem causers and besides, one rarely evers "scrubs the bottom" of such utility vessels.

I just checked 4 pieces of my stoneware and they all have discolorations on the bottom.