Extremely Rare Ten-Gallon Double-Handled Stoneware Jug with Profuse Cobalt Decoration, Stenciled "RICE & BROYLES / MONROE MONUMENTAL / POTTERY / LINDSIDE, WV", circa 1875, large-sized, ovoid jug with wide-mouthed spout and applied handles, the front decorated with brushed flowers and a freehand number 10 surrounded by a triangular foliate border. Stenciled below with the large signature "RICE & BROYLES / MONROE MONUMENTAL. / POTTERY / LINDSIDE. W. VA.". Reverse decorated with a second freehand number 10 surrounded by foliate brushwork. Cobalt stripe decoration to spout and handles as well as cobalt highlights to handle terminals. Includes original heavy, carved wooden stopper. Exceptionally-rare size, form, and maker. The finest example from this short-lived West Virginia operation that we have ever offered. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, consigned from the Midwestern U.S. Very nice condition with two glazed-over, in-the-firing lines to handles, two short, in-the-firing Y-shaped lines at base, some fry to stenciling, and some scratches to surface. H 23 3/4".
