Extremely Rare Ten-Gallon Salt-Glazed Stoneware Churn with Applied Rooster Decoration, Stamped "P.A. HUFFMAN," Philip A. Huffman, Madison County, KY origin, circa 1850, ovoid churn with grooved lug handles and incised details to shoulder and rim, the front decorated with large molded and applied motif of a rooster on mound. The design features dramatic, splayed tail feathers, a large serrated comb, and incised details to neck and lower tail feathers. Of note is the size of the design, measuring 6 3/4" tall by 6" wide, larger than most molded decorations found on American salt-glazed stoneware. Impressed at shoulder with Philip A. Huffman maker's mark below an incised "10." One handle features depressed terminals while the other does not. As Huffman's stoneware lacks cobalt decoration and this stately churn is the only example featuring a decorative motif of any kind, it can be regarded as a masterwork by this potter and possibly his finest vessel known. Literature: For more information on Huffman, see Noe, "Research Note: Nineteenth-Century Stoneware Makers of Madison County, Kentucky," Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Vol. 42-43, 2021-2022. Shallow chipping to mound below rooster, part of which is glazed over. A glazed-over 5/8" ping to proper left handle. A shallow 1 1/8" flake to front of rim. Interior of rim with light wear, and some smooth, shallow chipping. A thin 7" crack from rim on reverse. A 2 3/4" surface line from rim on interior of rim. A 3/4" in-the-firing contact mark (surface chip) to shoulder on reverse. Some light wear and light staining to surface. Minor wear to handles. H 21".
Special Note: Due to this object's large size, we are unable to ship it using our normal in-house shipping service. It must either be picked up by the high bidder, or special arrangements must be made by the high bidder for pick up and / or shipping by a third party. If you have any questions, please contact us; we are certainly able to recommend options for third party shippers ahead of time that you can contact for a quote.
