Exceedingly Rare and Important Small-Sized Stoneware Jug with Cobalt Bird-and-Grapes Motif, probably Adam States, Sr., South Amboy, NJ, Manhattan, NY, or Greenwich, CT, mid 18th century, ovoid jug with distinctive, single tool line around spout and central groove to handle, the shoulder decorated with a slip-trailed design of a spotted bird with ringed neck, beside a branch bearing three clusters of berries or grapes. Handle terminals accented with slip-trailed cobalt highlights to handle terminals. The early form of this jug, which includes a single tooled line at the spout, coupled with the thick, slip-trailed application of blackish-blue cobalt, strongly suggest that it was made by the mid-18th century, Adam States, Sr. This influential potter, active in South Amboy, NJ, Manhattan, NY, and Greenwich, CT, would eventually train the well-known Greenwich potter, Abraham Mead, who would go on to produce jugs with similar spout and handle constructions as seen on this example. Similarities in the foliate design on this jug can be noted on two miniature jugs attributed to States, one inscribed "St", sold through Crocker Farm, Inc., in 2011 and 2017, as well as a small pouring vessel, bearing the inscription "Elizabeth States her pot", along with incised initials "E+SAS". All exhibit a blackish-blue cobalt slip and crudeness in its application, suggestive of a potter still learning the nuances of salt-glazed stoneware decoration. This jug carries strong significance in its depiction of a bird, making it possibly one of the earliest examples of American stoneware featuring a figural design. A significant recent discovery produced during the formative years of the American cobalt-decorated stoneware industry. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, recently found in Pennsylvania. Base chips, one of which is glazed over. Small in-the-firing contact marks to surface. H 9 3/4".
