Exceedingly Rare and Fine Cobalt-Decorated Sugar Bowl with Applied Rosette Decoration and Lid, attributed to Emanuel Suter, Rockingham County, VA, circa 1851, squat, ovoid jar with rounded handles and dramatic foot, decorated with two clover-like flowers on each side, cobalt-brushed foot and handles, and applied molded rosette decoration below the rim on both sides. Rosettes with cobalt painted centers. On one side, a row of cobalt dots below the rosettes appears to mirror the applied decoration. Slightly domed lid with applied and cobalt-highlighted rosettes, additional cobalt dot decoration, and cobalt-painted finial. A sugar bowl of similar form decorated simply with the date "1851," the year of Suter"s apprenticeship to John D. Heatwole, and the initials "m s," presumably for Suter"s sister, Margaret, is pictured in Comstock"s The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region; another undecorated example is pictured in Evans and Suter"s A Great Deal of Stone and Earthen Ware, page 98. The similarity in form and style of decoration suggest that this bowl was made during Suter"s apprenticeship with Heatwole, or shortly afterward. The ornate form, heavy cobalt decoration, and applied decoration, which may be unique to this example, suggest that this sugar bowl also was a presentation piece. One of the finest examples of Rockingham County pottery known. Lid at one time broken into two pieces and reglued. Reglued 1 3/4" by 3/8" edge of sugar bowl"s foot. Height without lid 3 1/2" ; Diameter across top 3 7/8".
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