Very Rare Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Profuse Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stenciled "Manufactured, For / C M. Stith / Brandenburg Ky," attributed to J.H. Miller, Brandenburg, KY, circa 1860, cylindrical jar with thin, semi-squared rim, decorated with a boldly-brushed branch bearing leaves and eight oval tulips. Finely-stenciled below "Manufactured. For / C M Stith / Brandenburg Ky". During his tenure in Brandenburg, the Strasburg, Virginia, trained potter, James H. Miller (1814-1896), produced some of the most exuberantly-decorated stoneware in the entire state of Kentucky. Many examples, such as the jar offered here, combine an artistic combination of free-flowing floral brushwork with crisply-stenciled signatures or advertising. The inscription on this jar presumably refers to Brandenburg dry goods merchant, Charles M. Stith (1834-1886). Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example from a Maryland consignor. 8" vertical surface line on right side of jar's front, not visible on interior. Jar still rings true. This flaw may have occurred during the firing. Shallow chip on interior of rim. Otherwise excellent condition.
