Exceedingly Rare Glazed Redware Jug with Ornamental Handle and Incised Tulip Decoration, Inscribed "D.B. Huber", David Bolden Huber (1845-1916), Niantic, Montgomery County, PA, circa 1865-1870, approximately three-gallon, ovoid jug with footed base, tooled shoulder, and semi-rounded spout, the handle with grooved center and bifurcated terminal, embellished with faux screw heads. Decorated below the handle with an incised design of a tulip plant featuring graduated, impressed stamens emanating from the blossom, and two additional stems with impressed leaves. (Interestingly, the impressed designs incorporated into this floral motif are highly reminiscent of those found on the bases of Pennsylvania redware animal figures.) The plant's base features the incised name, "D.B. Huber", within a rectangular border. The jug's surface is covered in a clear lead glaze with appealing mottled orange and green coloration throughout. Underside incised with a large script "50". This jug is one of only two pottery pieces known bearing a David B. Huber signature. A second, damaged jug with various incised names from the potter's family resides in the collection of the Schwenkfelder Library in Pennsburg, PA. Huber produced redware on the farm of his father, Henry Huber (1816-1900), in Niantic, Pennsylvania, a pottery that began production in 1842 and is believed to have ceased operation by the 1870s. Research presented in a 1937 Berks County Historical Society article indicates Huber may also have been employed for a period at the John Glaes Pottery of Colebrookdale, Berks County, PA. Two lesser examples of Huber redware were sold by a descendant of the potter to Winterthur, an unsigned puzzle jug (museum catalog number 1980.0066) and unsigned miniature jug (museum catalog number 1980.0067). An outstanding work, which combines skillful potting with the decorative charm of Pennsylvania-German folk art. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, purchased in Pennsylvania in the early 1970s. Three adjacent reglued pieces on reverse/side of spout. Two base chips. Some glaze loss to spout and base of handle. H 13".
