Exceedingly Rare One-Quart Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Kaolin Slip Decoration, attributed to Collin Rhodes, Edgefield District, SC, circa 1850, small-sized, squat-shaped jug with tooled spout, the surface covered in a mottled olive-colored alkaline glaze; front decorated in kaolin slip with a large slip-trailed design of a flower featuring scalloped leaves flanking a multi-petaled blossom bearing the inscription, "1/4," for one-quarter gallon. (Note the reversed "4" in the fraction.) A body of scarce and desirable Collin Rhodes vessels have survived featuring distinctive floral motifs with blossoms surrounding capacity designations, the smallest documented among them inscribed "1/2" for one-half gallon. This newly-discovered jug is the only quarter-gallon example from this group that we are aware of, documenting a new size for this specific body of work. Coupled with its extraordinary, diminutive proportions is a visually-appealing, wide-bodied form atypical of larger jugs of this style. Surviving in exemplary condition, this work is regarded among the most significant discoveries in Collin Rhodes stoneware of the past decade. Provenance: Recently surfaced in the Southeastern U.S. Excellent, essentially as-made condition with some minor, in-the-firing chipping to base, a rarity for pieces from this region. H 6".
