Extremely Rare Glazed Redware Pitcher with Profuse Two-Color Slip Decoration, Alamance County, NC origin, early 19th century, ovoid pitcher with footed base, tooled body and rim, and highly-unusual coggled banding to shoulder; front of pitcher profusely-decorated in yellow and manganese slip with a slip-trailed design of a tulip plant emanating from an open-handled basket, including numerous dots and wavy lines surrounding the scrolled stems of the plant. Sides and reverse of pitcher's body heavily-decorated with alternating wavy vertical trails of yellow and manganese slip in the distinctive, Alamance County, NC style. Pitcher is further decorated above with an alternating spot-and-curved line motif in yellow and manganese slip. Collar and spout feature small, graduated vertical stripes of yellow and manganese slip with additional diagonal trails of yellow slip above these designs. Rim molding decorated with yellow slip spots, and handle decorated with alternating curved trails of yellow slip and wavy trails of manganese slip, along with yellow-slip spots at the base of the handle. Interior and exterior surface covered in a clear lead glaze. This significant recent discovery ranks among the most heavily-decorated Southern ceramic pitchers that we have seen. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, which recently surfaced in Ohio. Heavy wear to slip. Some surface wear to midsection, particularly on left side. A 1 3/4" rim chip, two other small rim chips, a small spout chip, and wear to rim. Wear to handle. A large flake to interior base. Some additional wear to interior. H 10 1/2".
