Very Rare Keg-Form Stoneware Mug with Cobalt Clover Decoration, Inscribed "S.p. the 17 / 1893 / I.S. Kapp", Israel Kapp, Baltimore, MD, 1893, large-sized, keg-form mug with tooled banding and applied faux stopper at center, the surface profusely-decorated with brushed clover blossoms. Cobalt highlights to incised banding, applied clay stopper, and handle terminals. Underside incised with the date and signature, "S.p. the 17 / 1893 / I.S. Kapp". This signature refers to West Baltimore potter, Israel Kapp, active at the Perine Pottery during the fourth quarter of the 19th century. A redware bust of a man sold by Crocker Farm, Inc. in 2011, bearing the inscribed name and date, "B. KAPP / 76", descended in the Perine family and is also believed to be by Israel Kapp's hand. This mug, rare in its form alone, is the only Baltimore example we have seen with a signature by its maker. It's large size, profuse decoration, and unusual applied stopper add to decorative appeal to an already important object. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, which recently surfaced in New England. Missing handle. A sealed 5" crack from rim, reinforced with white paint on the interior. Three hairlines from rim, measuring 3 1/2", 2 1/4", and 1 1/2". H 7 3/4".