Very Rare and Important BROWN BROS. / ARDEN, NC Stoneware Face Jug, c1925

March 19, 2016 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 357

Price Realized: $2,645.00

($2,300 hammer, plus 15% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 8 years old, and the American ceramics market frequently changes. Additionally, small nuances of color, condition, shape, etc. can mean huge differences in price. If you're interested in having us sell a similar item for you, please contact us here.

March 19, 2016 Auction Catalog

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Very Rare and Important Stoneware Face Jug, Stamped "BROWN BROS. / ARDEN, NC", Davis Pennington Brown and Evan Javan Brown, Sr., circa 1925, cylindrical jug with slightly-flared spout and applied strap handle, decorated with an applied clay face with open mouth and china teeth. The mouth and eyes are applied to recessed areas on the jug, pressed when the piece was still in a soft state. The eyes feature small applied-clay pupils and ears include impressed circular embellishments at the center of each. The surface is covered in a dark-brown Albany slip glaze. The underside bears the large-sized, early maker's mark of Davis Pennington Brown (1895-1967) and his brother, Evan Javan Brown (1897-1980), which reads "BROWN BROS. / ARDEN, NC" and was used circa 1924-1929. A new pottery in Arden was established shortly after this operation, and a second mark, "BROWN POTTERY", was used. This second mark is the stamp most typically found on early face jugs by the Brown family. The jug to be auctioned is the only example we have sold bearing the "BROWN BROS. / ARDEN, NC" stamp, used in the first shop established by Davis Pennington Brown. Its form and style are noticeably different than later Brown family products. To begin with, the jug is potted in a more cylindrical form than most Brown Pottery examples, which tended to become narrower at the base and more ovoid in form. Perhaps more importantly, the face's heavily-bulged eyes and low-set, oval-shaped mouth make it much more reminiscent of Edgefield, South Carolina examples from the second half of the 19th century. Perhaps in the future a clearer link can be made between 19th century Southern face jug production and its proliferation among a number of Southern operations in the 20th century. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, recently discovered in Pennsylvania. Excellent overall condition with a few shallow chips to one ear and one small chip to opposite ear. H 6".