Exceptional One-Quart Stoneware Jug with Profuse Freehand Cobalt Decoration, Inscribed "W. Sandusky", probably R.T. Williams, New Geneva, PA origin, circa 1880, small-sized, ovoid jug with tooled spout and ribbed handle, lavishly-decorated with freehand swags surrounding the name, "W. Sandusky" (or perhaps "N. Sandusky"), brushed in a scrolled, banner-like fashion. Reverse with graduated dash decoration under the handle, as well as cobalt highlights to handle terminals. Remarkable in its size and heavy brushwork, this jug was probably made by R.T. Williams for his father-in-law, William Sandusky. Well-known New Geneva potter, Robert Thomas Williams, married Elizabeth Sandusky, daughter of William, a house carpenter; according to family genealogies, this happened in 1876. Undergirding this interpretation of the jug is the fact that its decoration seems to have been rendered by the same hand as that seen on a signed 20-gallon R.T. Williams jar sold in our July 2015 auction. Sanduskys in the area were also potters and were probably relatives of Elizabeth Sandusky Williams: John Sandusky, listed in the 1880 census as living in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and Norris Sandusky, listed in that same census in Harrison County, West Virginia. An important example of southwestern Pennsylvania stoneware in terms of both decorative appeal and history. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, recently found in Kentucky. Excellent, essentially as-made condition with minor in-the-firing wear to underside at edge. H 7 3/4".
