Extremely Rare Salt-Glazed Stoneware Hanging Flowerpot, attributed to David Greenland Thompson, Morgantown, WV, circa 1885, wheel-thrown, bowl-shaped form with original drain hole in underside and applied clay loops for hanging on interior of rim, the surface painstakingly-decorated with dozens of molded clay pine cones of various styles. This applied decoration even covers the interior of the flowerpot's rim including its hanging loops. Vessel is covered in a salt glaze, producing a steel-gray coloration to the surface. One of a small number of surviving Thompson pieces with sprigged naturalistic decoration, this highly-decorative work relates to America's burgeoning art pottery movement. Literature: For related works, see Duez and Horvath with Heindl, "The Stoneware Years of the Thompson Potters of Morgantown, West Virginia, 1854-1890," Ceramics in America 2011, fig. 59. According to this article, such objects were only made by David Greenland Thompson as gifts for family members and townspeople. Some expected chips to pine cones. A long surface crack to interior base, not visible on exterior. H 8 1/2". Diam. 11 1/2".
