Extremely Rare and Important Four-Gallon Stoneware Water Cooler with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "JOHN BURGER / ROCHESTER.", New York State origin, circa 1860, ovoid cooler with flared rim, applied lug handles, and circular bunghole, decorated with an artistic slip-trailed design of a flowering plant bearing two different blossoms. The well-detailed blossom to the left, one of Burger's more elaborate floral motifs, features alternating shaded and hollow-centered petals surrounding a conical interior with dotted stamen; the flower to the right lacks the conical center, but features a similar alternating pattern to the petals and a dotted stamen at the center. In the case of this design, and other finer examples of Burger's work, a sense of perspective is created by having a larger, vertical blossom on the left that projects upward and outward to the viewer while overlapping the central stem, and a second, smaller blossom, which points off toward to the right, at a distance. Moreso than any other American stoneware decorator, Burger added depth and a three-dimensional tangibility to his floral designs. The bunghole of this cooler features elaborate slip-trailing in the form of a circular band surrounding a wavy stripe and a series of spots along the front edge. The shoulder includes the slip-trailed number "4." with unusual crossed horizontal bar. This cooler is one of a very few examples of this form known by John Burger. The rarity of the form is complemented nicely by exceptional color and an elegantly-rendered decoration. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, purchased by the consignor decades ago. A 3/4" chip to bung hole and a shallow glazed-over iron ping to bung hole. A faint spider line to right side of cooler, not visible on interior. A small chip to left handle. Some spots of staining. H 13 3/4".
