Outstanding and Unique Large-Sized Stoneware Jug with Profuse Slip-Trailed Cobalt Animal Scene, attributed to Riedinger & Caire, Poughkeepsie, NY, circa 1865, very tall, cylindrical jug with semi-squared spout and applied handle. Decorated with an elaborate slip-trailed cobalt design of four birds perched in a tall tree flanked by a seated dog and reclining doe on a grassy lawn at base. Dog and doe depicted with cobalt spots, the doe featuring an unusually long tail. Interestingly, the tree trunk was lightly-incised into the surface of the jug before being slip-trailed over, a technique which allowed the decorator to plot out the design. A seam around the middle of the tree branches indicates that the jug was thrown on a wheel in two sections, then sealed and fired. One of the single greatest American stoneware jugs to surface in years, this newly-discovered example possibly sat in the Poughkeepsie Pottery storefront to advertise its wares. This jug highlights four distinctive designs characteristic of this potting firm, presenting to the viewer what one could order on their items: a dog, a deer, a bird, and a tree with graduated limbs. A truly remarkable example in terms of its grand size and exuberant decoration. Provenance: Recently found in New York State. 14" thin hairline to right of tree. A few base chips. Small stone ping to shoulder. H 21 1/2".
