Gottfried Aust (5 April 1722 – 27 October 1788) was a German master

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Je ...

. He was the first master potter in the Moravian community in today's

Old Salem Old Salem is a historic district of Winston-Salem, North Carolina that was originally settled by the Moravian community in 1766. This small city features a living history museum (operated by the non-profit Old Salem Museums & Gardens, organize ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Early life

Aust was born in

Heidersdorf Heidersdorf is a municipality in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaa ...

, Germany. After learning the

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

trade from his father, he left home in 1742 for the Moravian congregation in

Herrnhut Herrnhut ( Sorbian: ''Ochranow''; cs, Ochranov) is an Upper Lusatian town in the Görlitz district in Saxony, Germany, known for the community of the Moravian Church established by Nicolas Ludwig, Count von Zinzendorf in 1722. Geography It is ...

. There, he learned the pottery trade from Andreas Dober. A decade later, he moved to

Niesky Niesky ( Sorbian and pl, Niska, cz, Nízké) is a small town in Upper Lusatia in eastern Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 9,200 (2020) and is part of the district of Görlitz. Historically considered part of Upper Lusatia, it was ...

, where he remained for two years. He sailed from London, aboard the ''Irene'', on 22 September 1754, and arrived in New York two months later. He settled in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to W ...

, working for master potter Michael Odenwald. He moved to

Bethabara Al-Maghtas ( ar, المغطس, meaning "baptism" or "immersion"), officially known as Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan", is an archaeological World Heritage site in Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River, considered to be the orig ...

, Province of North Carolina, part of the

Wachovia Tract Wachovia was the area settled by Moravians in what is now Forsyth County, North Carolina, US. Of the six 18th century Moravian "villages of the Lord" established in Wachovia, today the town of Bethania and city of Winston-Salem exist within ...

, in October 1755, shortly after the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

expanded to the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

from Pennsylvania.

Career

Aust was a pioneer in the use of

creamware Creamware is a cream-coloured refined earthenware with a lead glaze over a pale body, known in France as '' faïence fine'', in the Netherlands as ''Engels porselein'', and in Italy as ''terraglia inglese''.Osborne, 140 It was created about 175 ...

, white,

salt-glazed stoneware Salt-glaze or salt glaze pottery is pottery, usually stoneware, with a glaze of glossy, translucent and slightly orange-peel-like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the firing pr ...

and

tin-glazed earthenware Tin-glazed pottery is earthenware covered in lead glaze with added tin oxide which is white, shiny and opaque (see tin-glazing for the chemistry); usually this provides a background for brightly painted decoration. It has been important in Isla ...

. His apprentices included Rudolph Christ. The former location of Aust's pottery in Old Salem (and believed to be the first pottery shop in the colony) is now occupied by the Dr. John Francis Shaffner House, which was built in 1873.

Personal life

Aust was married three times, firstly to Anna Felicitas Grosch Heckedorn in 1765. They had one son, John Gottfried. Anna died in 1778, and Aust remarried, to Christine Dixon, the following year. She died of smallpox shortly after their marriage. Aust returned to Bethlehem, Province of Pennsylvania, to marry Maria Hirt. The couple returned to the Province of North Carolina. They had one child, in 1782, but it was stillborn. Future Salem master mason Johann Gottlob Krause was orphaned by the age of two, and he was adopted Aust and Felicitas Grosch. Krause ran away from home in 1773, but returned to become Aust's apprentice the following year. Their conflict continued, however, and the town moved Krause to the

Single Brothers' House The Single Brothers' House was built to house the Single Brethren (the unmarried men) of the Moravian Congregation of Old Salem , North Carolina. It is part of Old Salem Museums & Gardens and open as an Old Salem tour building to visitors. I ...

. Historians have described Aust as "grouchy, ill tempered, crusty, of a choleric nature, irascible, opinionated, and independent".''The Church Square Journal''
Fall 2014

Death

Aust died in 1788, aged 66, while in

Lititz Lititz is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of the city of Lancaster. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 9,370. History Lititz was founded by members of the Moravian Church in 1756 and was named af ...

, Province of Pennsylvania. Ill with cancer on his face, he travelled to the town for treatment. He was interred in a Moravian cemetery there. He was succeeded as Old Salem's master potter by his protege, Rudolph Christ. Aust's original shop sign, and a 21-inch pottery plate from 1773, are on display in Old Salem.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aust, Gottfried 1722 births 1788 deaths German potters People from Salem, North Carolina Moravian-German people German emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Artisans from the Thirteen Colonies