Lot 164 email save

Early and rare West Virginia cobalt decorated jar

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Rare Southern cobalt decorated stoneware jar attributed to John Wood Thompson, Morgantown, West Virginia. Consisting of cobalt decorated flowering tulips on both sides, two cobalt lines around rim area, and traces of cobalt on the base of the jar. Stamped three times, two stamps depict a Georgian house with a large tree to the right and the third stamp contains a "1" with a lozenge border. Four incised lines around the circumference near rim, unglazed bottom. Condition - overall very good condition, one shallow chip to the underside of rim. 9 1/4" height. Second quarter of the 19th century. Note - the attribution to West Virginia is based on a similar stamp illustrated in a chapter by Walter Hough, Assistant Curator, Division of Ethnology, Smithsonian, dated June 30, l899, titled "An Early West Virginia Pottery" . Hough illustrates five building stamps in this chapter on Morgantown pottery (Plate 14). One stamp is pictured with a chimney to the left and a tree to the right (bending over the house) and eight cutouts for windows and doors, 4 up, 4 down. There is also a shrub type object to the right of the tree. These are baked clay stamps and of modified oval form. It (the oval) nips in a little at the base of the tree (research courtesy of Carole Wahler, with attribution verification to John Wood Thompson by Don Horvatch). Excerpts of Hough's article are provided below.

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