Cumberland Pottery Urn by Liebentritt & Son, Australia

An unglazed pottery urn, Australian, by Liebentritt & Son Cumberland Pottery, near Enfield NSW, late 19th century, 34.5 cm high. Note: Paul Liebentritt, born in Austria on October 22 1807, arrived in Australia, from Germany, on 7 December 1857. He came to Australia with his wife Henretta Ellenora and their four sons, Fredrick William, John Henry, George Christian Theodore, and John Frederick., Paul Liebentritt started a small pottery business on Liverpool Road (Hume Highway) near Enfield, almost opposite the Lion Tile Works. In 1863 he purchased approximately 30 acres of land from John Hunter and established Cumberland Pottery and Tile Works. At this time the area was known as 'Barks Hut Estate', and later 'Druitt Town' and then 'near Enfield'. Today it is a suburb called Chullora., Paul's fourth son, John Fredrick (referred to as Fredrick), initially lived in Camperdown with his wife, Henrita Elizabeth, and worked at Fowlers Pottery on Parramatta Road Camperdown. He later joined his father at Cumberland Pottery where he remained with his wife and five children until his death on 7 July 1935. Paul and John Fredrick became equal partners in Cumberland Pottery on 1 November 1869 but the partnership was dissolved on 31 May 1872. John Frederick continued to run the business under the name F.Liebentritt & Sons, Trading as Cumberland Pottery and Tile Works. The business specialised in the manufacture of architectural terra cotta, Baker's Oven Tiles, Horticultural Ware, and Chemical Appliances. Amongst some its major contracts were the supply terra cotta architectural accessories for the building of the Technological Museum and Sydney Technical College. It won numerous awards including; Medal in the Horticultural Society Exhibition 1868; Silver Medal in the Centenary Universal Exhibition 1888; and Medal in the Agricultural Society Exhibition, 1878 and 1898.