Bowl, Pot, and Pipe

By 1640, Jamestown potters were making thick-walled jugs, bowls, and pots for everyday use. Symmetrical design and an occasional slip-coat of color show that skilled artisans were at work. The local ware fired red, due to the iron-rich Tidewater clay. Jamestown kilns produced earthenware objects of unglazed clay, as well as of lead-glazed clay. The colonists also made hand-modeled tobacco pipes. These home-made red pipes avoided the King’s duty on white pipes from England.

Virginia · United States