Exceedingly Rare and Important One-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration and Incised "B", Stamped "J. BLACK / ALEXA / D C," Alexandria, VA origin, circa 1831-1836, cylindrical jar with footed base, tooled shoulder, and rounded rim, decorated with a large sweeping vine bearing two tulip blossoms and heavy leaves. The second blossom includes a large fan-shaped leaf at the end, typical of designs found on pieces made by Black's competitors on Wilkes Street. Reverse decorated with a large hanging leaf. Impressed at the shoulder with the extremely rare maker's mark of James Black, who operated a small pottery on Alexandria's Wolfe Street during the 1830s. Few examples of signed or attributed stoneware by Black have survived, and this jar features what is considered the rarer of two known Black maker's marks, incorporating the name "J. BLACK" within an oval pattern. Adding to its rarity, this jar is also the only known example of Black stoneware to include a form of incised signature, the underside featuring a large script "B" with flourish below. Interestingly, this form of signature is similar to the incised initials found on the undersides of many Wilkes Street stoneware objects. 1 3/4" x 1 1/8" flake to side, along with a few other minor flakes above and below. 1 1/8" base chip. Thin cracks to body and underside, primarily visible at base. Some dryness to surface of one side. H 9 3/8".
