Important and Probably Unique Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Inkstand with Turtle Finial, attributed to the Decker Pottery, Washington County, TN, circa 1872-1910, slab-built form with elaborate pierced-work decoration to the front, reverse, sides, and pen tray, the top surmounted by four balls of clay and a central hand-modeled figure of a turtle with impressed oval decoration and incised details to face and feet. Brushed X-shaped decoration to front of stand, crosses to reverse ,and highlights the pierced X-shaped motifs on the sides of the stand. Top of stand decorated with cobalt highlights to the turtle, ball finials, and dashes surrounding the circular openings for the well and sander and two smaller openings for pens behind the turtle. Additional dashed decoration spans the left and right upper edges of the stand. Surface covered in a clear salt glaze. Extremely few Southern ceramic inkstands (either stoneware or redware) from this time period or earlier are known. This example transcends the stoneware genre with its wonderful applied turtle decoration, a treatment essentially unheard of outside of Illinois's Anna Pottery and related Midwestern stoneware. One of the definitive works by Tennessee's most famous producer of stoneware. Exhibited: Handed Down, 1986. Provenance: Wahler states the following about the inkstand in her notes: "Beverly Burbage [the leading early Decker pottery collector] owned it in '86. He did not want to lend it in '96 as the family 'was making noises about getting it back.' . . . Later bought it. . . from Don Walters. :) a long story." Missing well and sander, typical for this form. Otherwise excellent condition. L 7 1/2" ; W 4 7/8" ; H 2 1/4".
