Very Rare Four-Gallon HUGH SMITH & CO. Stoneware Jug, Alexandria, VA, circa 1820

March 2, 2013 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 136

Price Realized: $287.50

($250 hammer, plus 15% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 11 years old, and the American ceramics market frequently changes. Additionally, small nuances of color, condition, shape, etc. can mean huge differences in price. If you're interested in having us sell a similar item for you, please contact us here.

March 2, 2013 Auction Catalog

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Very Rare Four-Gallon Stoneware Jug, Stamped "HUGH SMITH & CO.," Alexandria, VA, circa 1820, ovoid jug with tooled shoulder and tall, stepped spout, incised with the number "4," and impressed with the merchant mark, "HUGH SMITH & CO" within a rectangular cartouche. This impressed mark is the first in a series of four Smith family merchant marks used at Alexandria's Wilkes Street Pottery. We have offered very few examples bearing this mark in the past, as it is quite scarce, fairly rarer than the popular early mark, J. Swann. This jug is one of the largest marked examples of Hugh Smith & Co. stoneware known. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, consigned from Western Maryland. Missing handle. Plaster-like substance at upper handle terminal indicates damage to the jug may have been filled. Thin crack to shoulder. Thin crack to midsection. Chip to reverse side of spout. Two base chips. Hairline at base. Traces of old white paint. H 17 3/4".