20 — Antiques and The Arts Weekly — May 12, 2023

Ermano & Luigi Paolucci:

Two Italian Immigrant Potters In Peabody, Mass.
By Justin W. Thomas some colored glazes, such as a soft
NEWBURYPORT, MASS. — rose color, on a redware body.”
The second book in my New Eng- Today, not a lot is known about
land pottery book series, The the Paolucci’s production, but the
Moses B. Paige Company: The Peabody Historical Society does
Last of the Peabody Potteries (pub- own a pitcher that the museum
lished by Historic Beverly, 2020), acquired when it was new from
told the story of Moses Paige the Paige Pottery that indicates
(1847/48-1941), who was born in the Paoluccis were working with
Weare, N.H., before he moved to John Donovan. The pitcher
Winthrop, Maine, for school, retains its original lid and is
around the age of ten. Once he described by the museum as a
reached adulthood, Paige became type of reproduction ware, where-
a farmer and relocated to Peabody as an old tag reads, “Made at
(formerly South Danvers), Mass., Paige Pottery c. 1930 turned by
about 1872. His career path John Donovan Glazed by Luigi
quickly changed and he was soon Paolucci Black mat-glaze.”
employed at Joseph Reed’s (1809- Historic New England also owns
1884) Pottery in Peabody, the for- a pitcher that seems to corre-
mer location of the longstanding spond with Watkins’ description
Osborn family pottery, which of how some of the wares were
dates back to about 1736. made by the Paoluccis. The pitch-
Paige eventually purchased the er was acquired by the museum
business in 1876, where he quick- in 1926, the same year it was
ly enlarged the pottery’s facilities made, and is described as, “a red-
to maximize production. By 1906, ware pitcher with a pinkish white
the company was incorporated body and black spine on the han-
and Paige served as president and dle and the rim. The body of the
general manager of the lucrative pitcher is decorated with a black,
business, which specialized in pink and green spiral decoration
household red earthenware for (on top of a tin-enameled glaze).
utilitarian and decorative needs, The pitcher was decorated by a
while also employing a small girl of half Italian and half Argen-
group of accomplished and talent- tine descent at the Peabody Pot-
ed potters. The company also sold tery in 1926.”
a variety of other household wares Furthermore, in 2010, Frank
made by manufacturers else- Kaminski sold a group lot of
where in America. ephemera from a local Peabody
Today, it is less well known that estate at his Beverly, Mass., auc-
this group of potters included two Paperwork found in a local Peabody, Mass., area estate, which includes a letter written by a tion gallery. The paperwork for
Italian immigrant potters named man named Enrico Caruso and addressed to Luigi Paolucci in Italian regarding imported the lot included a letter written by
Ermano and Luigi Paolucci, who pottery, presumably from Italy, dated January 28, 1914. The paperwork also includes a post- a man named Enrico Caruso and
arrived in Salem, Mass., in 1898. card addressed to Luigi from the Hotel Knickerbocker in New York City, dated March 1918. addressed to Luigi Paolucci in
Records indicate that they were This information may indicate that the Paoluccis may have also been selling imported Ital- Italian regarding imported pot-
working for Paige by the 1920s, ian pottery in the Salem and Peabody area before 1920. Courtesy Kaminski Auctions. tery, presumably from Italy,
although there is evidence that dated January 28, 1914. The
they were employed in Peabody ness as a place that employed at the Paige pottery was John nomenal skill to make them of paperwork also included a post-
as potters as early as 1915, based day-to-day “jobbers.” Donovan, who was born in Exeter uniform shape at the same time. card addressed to Luigi from the
on information published in that Massachusetts author Lura in 1851 and died in 1932. He was During Donovan’s day, the Paige Knickerbocker Hotel in New York
year’s Peabody City Directory. Woodside Watkins (1897-1982) a turner for nearly 60 years, hav- pottery sold commercially little City, dated March 1918. This
The directory cites Ermano as a visited the Paige Pottery when it ing become a skilled potter at the herb pots with covers and a lip, information may indicate that the
potter working at 92 Central was in operation in the 1920s and/ age of 15. I once watched John almost identical to those made in Paoluccis could have also supple-
Street and Luigi as a potter at 91 or 1930s, while she was research- Donovan at work making kitchen the early days of potting. They mented some of their income by
Central Street. Central Street is ing and drafting her book, Early bowls. He was able to complete were not made as reproductions, selling imported Italian pottery in
where the Osborns operated their New England Potters and Their one in from two to three minutes. but in the ordinary course of the Salem and Peabody area
potteries in the Eighteenth and Wares. This is also where she wit- One by one they would be laid on events. before 1920.
Nineteenth Century, as well as nessed the Paoluccis’ production the drying board. Donovan mean- “Edwin A. Rich, a Vermonter, Another object of interest is a tin
where the Paige Pottery was while they worked for Paige and time chatting quietly with his vis- worked in the pottery about 1880, enameled red earthenware pitch-
located. Although, it is certainly then when they acquired the pot- itors; the board would be carried and James Crawford Porter, an er owned by the Peabody Histori-
possible that they did not assume tery business sometime after away, and he would begin another extremely able turner, was one of cal Society, which the museum
a role as full-time potters for 1945. round. Speed was an important the later employees. Upon the acquired from a local home in the
Paige until the 1920s, seeing that Watkins writes, “Perhaps the consideration in producing utili- death of John Donovan, the old 1980s. The history of this object is
Paige often advertised his busi- most famous craftsman employed tarian vessels, but it took phe- tradition, too, passed away. Two unknown, although its style of
Italians, Ermano and Luigi production is like how Watkins
Paolucci, attempted to throw pots described some of the wares made
and to run the kiln, but they had by the Paoluccis. Interestingly,
not enough skill to do excellent this type of pottery made by two
hand work and they found Italian immigrant potters
machine methods unprofitable in appears to be unique for known
competition with the great mod- production in New England,
ern factories. They nevertheless whereas there are other related
turned out a number of interest- pitchers like this one owned by
ing things in Italian style. These the Peabody Historical Society
were principally pitchers and found with history of ownership
large deep dishes, tin-enameled, in Peabody families, which are
and painted in gay floral designs. privately owned in New England
They also succeeded in producing today.

Twentieth Century pitcher described by

Historic New England: “A redware pitcher
with a pinkish white body and black spine
on the handle and the rim. The body of the Twentieth Century red earthenware pitch-
pitcher is decorated with a black, pink and er with its original lid that is described by
green spiral decoration (on top of a tin- the Peabody Historical Society, Massachu- Peabody, Mass., City Directory, 1915, in which Ermanno
enameled glaze). The pitcher was decorated setts, as “Made at Paige Pottery circa 1930 Paolucci is listed as a potter working at 92 Central Street
by a girl of half Italian and half Argentine turned by John Donovan Glazed by Luigi and Luigi Paolucci as a potter at 91 Central Street. There
descent at the Peabody Pottery in 1926.” Paolucci Black mat-glaze.” Courtesy: Pea- are records that spell the name variously, Ermano and
Courtesy: Historic New England. body Historical Society. Ermanno.