Extremely Rare and Important Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Pitcher with People Decoration, attributed to David Greenland Thompson, Morgantown, WV, circa 1860, ovoid pitcher with tooled midsection, tall collar, and tapered rim molding, decorated with brushed people motifs on two sides. One side features three women, one with train descending from her head, another clutching a hat and wearing a large head covering, and a third holding a parasol. In typical Morgantown fashion, the decoration features layering of the cobalt slip, which creates darker-colored aprons on two of the women. The decoration is surrounded by an unusual, oval-shaped border composed of sponged cobalt slip. The collar is decorated above with freehand stems superimposed over lighter cobalt bands. The reverse side of the pitcher features a hatted man holding a rifle, standing between two trees. Above this design, the collar is decorated with abstract cobalt sponging surrounded by a sponged chainlink border. Additional sponging decorates the pitcher's rim. The use of differently-styled women designs is unusual and appears to highlight a sampling of the various female figural motifs employed at the Thompson Pottery. Typically, pieces decorated with multiple women depict them in a more homogeneous fashion. Very few Morgantown people-decorated pitchers are known and this example is one of the rarest works from this highly-important West Virginia stoneware manufactory we have ever offered. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, from a thirty-five year Midwestern collection. Missing handle. An in-the-firing contact mark to front. A 2" hairline from spout and a small chip on interior of spout. H 10".
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