Extremely Rare Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Bird-on-Stump Decoration, Inscribed "Harisburg", attributed to Cowden & Wilcox, Harrisburg, PA, circa 1865, semi-ovoid jar with tooled shoulder, applied lug handles, and flared rim, decorated with a brushed design of a bird with raised leg and spotted details to wing and tail, standing atop a heavily-shaded stump between two branches. Inscribed "Harisburg" in cobalt script above. Cobalt highlights to handle terminals. Includes salt-glazed lid with three impressed circles, probably original to the jar. This exciting new discovery is particularly rare, as few examples of inscribed stoneware by Cowden & Wilcox are known. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, recently found in a Central PA home. A faint, glazed-over 3 1/2" vertical surface line at base on front, extending 1" onto underside. This line is not visible on the interior. A rim chip with 1" line on left side of jar. Typical shallow chipping to inner rim where the lid rests. Lid in excellent, essentially as-made condition. H (excluding lid) 12 3/4".
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