Rare and Important Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Face Jug, Edgefield, SC origin, circa 1850-1865, ovoid jug with semi-squared spout and narrow, arching handle, the jug's front flattened and decorated with a hand-modeled and applied clay face. Face includes pierced eyes set within bulging eyelids, raised eyebrows, nose with slightly-depressed nostrils, large ears with tragi in the form of pointed clay studs, and an open mouth with deeply-incised teeth. Surface covered in a high-gloss green alkaline glaze with olive-brown highlights to bottom half of jug. Eyes and teeth remain unglazed. This recently-surfaced work is among the earliest exhibited Edgefield face jugs known, survives in immaculate condition, and features a particularly-striking alkaline glaze. A common topic of discussion regarding Edgefield face vessels involves their purpose, use, and what they may have originally held. A sweet smelling odor on the interior of this jug indicates it, at one point, held molasses or syrup of some sort. Provenance: A recently rediscovered work, purchased by the consignor in the early 1970s from a Boston, MA antiques shop. Literature/Exhibition History: Illustrated in The Historical Society of York County, York, Pennsylvania, Regional Aspects of American Folk Pottery, May 12 to October 12, 1974; jug includes a hand-written label discussing its exhibition /publication in 1974 on underside. Remarkable, excellent condition with a minor nick to spout and some in-the-firing residue to base area on right side of jug. H 5 1/2".
