Extremely Rare Anna Pottery Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Vase with Sculpted Handles, Dated "1884", Wallace and Cornwall Kirkpatrick, Anna, IL, 1884, ovoid form with pedastal base and flared rim, the hand-modeled handles in the form of openwork leaves with deeply-carved details surrounding a curved twig with incised end, all highlighted in brushed cobalt slip over a light, slip-coated surface. Interior coated in Albany slip, which has assumed a yellowish color after contact with salt vapors during the firing. Underside incised with the date, "1884". Exceptional form with impeccable provenance, presumably made as a special piece to be used within the Kirkpatrick family. Provenance: From a recently-surfaced collection of Anna Pottery, which descended in the family of Cornwall Kirkpatrick. Excellent condition. Two minor chips to one handle. One minor chip to opposite handle. Three short in-the-firing separations to rim. A shallow base chip. Some additional firing lines to base area, which do not extend through to opposite side. H 8".
