Extremely Rare Four-Gallon Stoneware Crock with Cobalt Inscription "HOME SWEET HOME," Stamped "BROWN BROTHER , / HUNTINGTON, LI," New York State origin, circa 1870-1885, cylindrical crock with tooled shoulder, applied lug handles, and semi-rounded rim, the front decorated with the large cobalt inscription "HOME SWEET HOME", flanked by scrolled vines. Cobalt highlights to maker's mark and capacity mark. This iconic crock belongs to a small group of highly-prized "epitaph crocks" produced at the Brown Brothers operation, regarded as the pottery's finest works. According to the book, USEFUL ART: LONG ISLAND POTTERY, by Cynthia Arps Corbett, the inscription on this crock probably "refers to the John Payne homestead in East Hampton. Payne, who wrote the song, 'Home Sweet Home,' was the focus of a sentimental movement on Long Island in the late nineteenth century" (Corbett, p. 44). John Howard Payne (1791-1852) was an American actor and writer, most famous for the song, entitled "Home! Sweet Home!", which he penned in 1822. The song was popular throughout America and England for many decades, and was a favorite among Civil War soldiers, as well as Abraham Lincoln and his wife. Lincoln requested the song to be performed at the funeral of his son, Willie, in 1862. Payne's childhood was spent at his grandfather's home in East Hampton, Long Island, later named "Home Sweet Home" in his honor. This crock is considered one of the finest examples of Long Island pottery to come to auction in years. Provenance: Donald Matties Collection. Literature: Pictured and discussed on p. 44 of USEFUL ART: LONG ISLAND POTTERY, Cynthia Arps Corbett, Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, 1985. Very nice condition with only minor flaws. A small stone ping to rim. A small chip to interior of rim. Some short, faint surface lines in rim on reverse. A short surface line to base. Some mottling to clay.
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