Rare Five-Gallon Stoneware Churn attrib. John Floyd at the Graves Pottery, Knox County, TN

Winter 2026 Auction of the Carole Wahler Collection

Lot #: 19

Price Realized: $7,200.00

($6,000 hammer, plus 20% buyer's premium)

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Auction Highlight: Winter 2026 Auction of the Carole Wahler Collection Auction | Southern Pottery | Tennessee Pottery

Winter 2026 Auction Catalog

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Rare Five-Gallon Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Churn, attributed to John Floyd at the Graves Pottery, Knox County, TN, circa 1840-1860, ovoid churn with flared collar, inner rim for lid, and arched tab handles, brush-decorated on the front and reverse with stylized drape motifs. Cobalt highlights to tops of handles. Impressed at the shoulder with the same five-gallon capacity mark as the signed John Floyd water cooler, sold in Crocker Farm, Inc.'s January 2025 auction of the Carole Wahler Collection, lot 46. Exhibited: Tennessee Turned, Earthenware and Stoneware Made in East Tennessee 1800-1900, Museum of East Tennessee History, May 16-October 30, 2011. Literature: Illustrated in Wahler, Tennessee Turned, Earthenware and Stoneware Made in East Tennessee 1800-1900, Part One, p. 104, fig. 109, p. 209, fig. 109. Two small rims chips, which are filled with glue, and minor wear to the inner rim for lid. A faint 6 1/2" inverted Y-shaped line to bottom half of churn's front. Sealed cracks to underside, extending onto base area. An in-the-firing contact mark to one side. In-the-firing pings to surface. H 15 3/4".