Rare Figural Stoneware Bottle, attributed to William Joseph Gordy, Cartersville, GA, circa 1935, wheel-thrown bottle in the form of a man in a coat with applied facial features and spout emanating from his head, the vessel's handles formed from the figure's arms with hands pressed at his waist. Bottle details include applied jacket pockets, as well as a jacket front, shirt, and necktie with incised details. Surface covered in a metallic brown glaze with red paint to lips, traces of green paint to body, and traces of black paint to the arms. William Joseph Gordy (1910-1993) was the son of Georgia potter, William Thomas Belah Gordy (1877-1955). According to Burrison's Brothers in Clay, W.J. Gordy was turning "bigware" by the age of fourteen at his father's shop in Alvaton, and later worked as a journeyman for potter, James Reid, in Acworth, Georgia, for the Hilton Pottery Company in Hickory, North Carolina, and Herman Cole in Smithfield, North Carolina. In 1935, Gordy traveled back to Georgia, establishing the Georgia Art Pottery in Cartersville (Burrison, p. 175-176). Provenance: Jimmy Allen; Tony Shank; John Burrison. Excellent condition with a chip to one ear. H 10 1/2".
