American Urn Inc

The American makers created different styles of Windsors. They all had a shaped wooden seat made of a single thick piece of wood, spindles used for a back and perhaps arms. There were splayed legs that were inserted into holes in the seat. The Windsor gradually changed into a captain’s chair with no spindles and a low back. Windsors were made of several types of wood chosen for properties like strength for the legs, pliability for the top of the back, and easy carveability for the seat. Then they were painted a single dark color. If there is a hole in the seat, the chair probably was converted to a potty chair. Rocking chairs can be early chairs with added rockers or 18th century chairs made with original rockers. You can tell by the way they are attached. There are tips to telling the age and origin of an authentic chair. An English chair will have a splat in the back and may use cabriole legs. It has a lower back than an American chair. Older American chair seats are about 18 inches from the floor; later ones are lower, about 16 to 17 inches. The number of spindles in the back is a good gauge of age: The more there are, the older the chair. Nine spindles is a very old chair. The chairs are named for the shape of the back. This is a birdcage Windsor with rockers that may have been added. It was made in the early 19th century in Massachusetts. The auction estimate at a James Julia sale was $500 to $700.Q: I have a large stoneware bowl with a mark on the bottom. It’s marked “Serving piece, Not to be used for high temperature cooking” and “Louisville Stoneware, made in Kentucky.” Can you tell me something about the maker and age of this piece?A: Louisville Stoneware is one of the oldest stoneware manufacturers in the U.S. It started out as Lewis Pottery, founded in 1815 by Jacob Lewis in Louisville, Ky. The name and ownership changed several times over the years. It became Louisville Stoneware in 1970. The company is still in business, now a subsidiary of Two Stone Inc. Stoneware is...