Exceptional Half-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Stenciled Daisy and Star Motifs, attributed to James Hamilton & Co., Greensboro, PA origin, circa 1865-1870, cylindrical jar with tooled shoulder, incised banding at midsection, and semi-rounded rim, the front decorated with a finely-stenciled daisy blossom with open-work petals and bull's-eye center, flanked by graduated vertical stripes with a band of stenciled stars above. Freehand stripe decoration below rim and at base. This canning jar is both visually-striking and highly unusual, utilizing an extremely rare stenciled daisy motif with hollowed banding. This distinctive design is found on only a small number of pieces made by James Hamilton & Co. of Greensboro, PA, two of which are illustrated among his finest works known on p. 176 of Schaltenbrand's Big Ware Turners. The first, a signed jar with vertical stenciling, bears Hamilton's stenciled signature as well as the same daisy motif incorporated into a vine. The second, an unsigned James Hamilton pedestal-based water cooler, which was made for Pittsburgh merchant, Samuel Cooper, utilizes this daisy motif at the base. The stencil's use on these two iconic pieces indicates the design was reserved for Hamilton's best work, which was made during a hey-day of elaborate stenciled and freehand decoration circa 1865-1870. One of the finest small-sized jars with stenciled decoration we have ever offered. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, purchased by the consignor in the 1960s. Excellent condition with a minor chip to underside of rim on reverse. H 8".
