Exceptional Four-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Peacock Decoration, Stamped "COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG, PA", circa 1865, cylindrical jar with tooled shoulder, flared rim, and applied lug handles, decorated with a slip-trailed design of a crested peacock with long tail displaying circular eyes, perched on a leafy branch. Cobalt highlights to maker's mark, capacity mark, and handle terminals. The peacock motif is considered one of the rarest and most desirable bird designs employed at the Cowden & Wilcox Pottery. The decoration on this example features scarce application with a slip cup, creating a design that is crisp, bold, and dark. One of the finest Harrisburg bird decorations we have ever offered. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, which descended in a Philadelphia area family. A 2" restored rim chip on front. Two adjacent reglued pieces to rim on reverse, measuring a total of 3 1/2". Additional shallow chipping throughout rim. Typical wear to inner rim where a lid would rest. A base chip on reverse. A minor, 2" vertical line at base on side of jar. H 13 1/2".
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