Magnificent Five-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Cobalt Pheasant on Stump Decoration, Stamped "WEST TROY / N.Y. / POTTERY," circa 1875, cylindrical jug with tooled spout, decorated with a large slip-trailed design of a crested pheasant with turned head, perched in the crook of a large tree stump embellished with highly unusual spotted clusters of leaves. Excellent feather detail adorns much of the bird's body, including stripes to the neck and wing, spotted treatment to the body, and dashes along the tail. Stump is situated on a stylized, oval ground bordered by shrubs. The entire design, featuring excellent color and contrastingly sharply with a beige clay ground, covers most of the jug's front, spanning 14" tall by 14 1/2" wide. This jug's exceptional five-gallon size and extravagant design, including its rarely-seen foliage added to the stump, define it as arguably the best example known of this desirable Northeastern motif. Provenance: Sotheby's, Distinguished American Furniture and Folk Art: The Collection of Susan and Mark Laracy, January 20, 2007, lot 43. Sotheby's catalog description states the following regarding the jug's provenance and publication history: "Dominick Cervone, Jackson Heights, New York, 1993. Mr. Cervone sold his fine collection of Americana, including 18-20 stoneware pieces with pheasant on stump decorations, in the early 1990s. He said this jug was his favorite piece. It was, in fact, the last piece with which he parted. . . Ernie Graf, Saratoga Springs, New York, June 2000. Ernie Graf describes this pieces as, 'The finest example of a pheasant on a stump I've ever seen.' Literature: Steven B. Leder and Fred Cesana, The Birds of Bennington, p. 142". A 1 5/8" reglued piece at base of handle. Spout with shallow chips and a minor, oval surface line to top edge. A few, typical minor in-the-firing flaws to surface. H 20".
