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This is a a lovely pitcher made of earthenware in the U.S. and decorated by a company called Cumbow China Decorating Company that is an example of authentic American folk stoneware. This pitcher has an off white or cream background with handpainted pink flowers and a luster copper handle, trim, and decoration. The copper luster is dark and really shiny. This pattern is called Louis XV Pink.
The Cumbow China Decorating Company started in 1932 in the small Appalachian town of Abington, Virginia by Jacob Ruskin and his wife Mabel Cumbow Ruskin. They bought blank stoneware and she and local women created handpainted folk art stoneware. Mabel Cumbow Ruskin had studied at the Art Institue of Chicago and painted at an art studio there as well as taught taught at Martha Washington College, so she took what she knew and started up a business during the economic calamity of the Great Depression. And once that got going and was so successful, she trained and provided much needed jobs to other women in her town. The business was started in the Ruskin home, and as their stoneware became more popular, they moved their business to bigger quarters in the 1940’s.
This pitcher is in excellent vintage condition. It does have crazing under the glaze and there is some loss of the copper luster here and there on it. It stands about 6 & 1/4 inches tall, has an opening of 3 & 3/8 inches across, is 6 & 1/2 inches long from tip of spout to handle, and holds about 3 cups. It weighs 1 pound 3 ounces.
When I see this unique pitcher, I see a slice of history and an American woman’s ingenuity during hard times to help her family and those in her town.
Please zoom in on the pictures and see the 360 degree video for a closer look.
I pack with lots of bubble wrap for safe shipping and ship out quickly, sometimes same day, always by next business day, and sometimes on a Saturdays if I can get to the post office before they close at noon!
Any questions, please ask and thanks for looking!
