Jar
MakerAttributed to
Abraham Mead
(American, 1742 - 1827)
Original OwnerOriginally owned by the
Mead family
(American)
Date1790
MediumWheel-thrown salt-glazed stoneware with cobalt blue decoration
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width x depth): 9 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 8in. (24.1 x 21.6 x 20.3cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number1991.58.8
DescriptionWide-mouthed, grey stoneware jar with hand-painted cobalt blue decoration. The ovoid jar has a flat, rolled rim, narrower neck, and bands of raised lines below the neck. The remnants of two pulled, strap handles are visible on opposite sides of the jar. Each handle would have connected to the jar just below the neck and at the widest point of the jar. Additionally, the jar has a straight spout, located halfway between the two handles. Each handle is decorated with cobalt blue, where two spirals curl outwards from the stump. The side of the jar with the spout is most elaborately decorated. The rim and base of the spout are decorated with cobalt blue, and the date, "1790", is hand-painted in cobalt blue below the spout. On either side of the spout are two double circles with a dot in the center. Below this is a figure eight with a dot in the center of either circle. This same decoration is repeated once on the side opposite the spout. The salt glaze is somewhat irregular and is tinted yellow in several spots around the neck and shoulder of the jar. The cobalt blue has run lightly down the side of the jar in many places, resulting in blue drips and a general blue tint to the grey glaze on the lower half. The glaze on the inside of the jar is tinted a reddish yellow. There are multiple, concentric ovals on the bottom of the jar. There is a crack in the thickest portion of the rim to the right of the spout, near the handle.
Status
Not on view
