Monumental WH Triphugen (Triphagen) Pewamo, Michigan Double-Handled Stoneware Merchant's Jug 

American,19th century, probably Ohio.   A massive  20 gallon salt-glazed stoneware jug of semi-ovoid form, having applied double-handles and a tooled shoulder, featuring an incised and cobalt-painted inscription reading WH Triphugen Esq / Pewamo. Mich above a twenty-six star American flag, topped by a turned and carved hardwood stopper; ht. 27.5 in. (including stopper).

William Henry Triphagen (American, 1841-1918), whose last name was incorrectly spelled Triphugen on the front of the jug, grew up in New York State before relocating to Michigan. After earning a living as a farm hand and a freight checker, Triphagen settled in the Village of Pewamo in Ionia County as a grocer. While the history of this jug is lost to time, it is conceiveable that Triphagen commissioned the jug to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Michigan's admission to the Union, thus the 26 star flag. A spectacular piece of Midwestern stoneware. 

Provenance: From the Estate of Kenneth Erwin, Portland, Michigan

Some surface wear and spots of light discoloration. Salt drips to shoulder. A few chips to spout and some around base. Firing cracks near handles.