Outstanding Ten-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Elaborate Freehand Cobalt Decoration, Stamped "J. HAMILTON" and Incised "J. Hamilton" on Underside, Greensboro, PA origin, circa 1865, large-sized, semi-ovoid jar with incised banding to body, tooled shoulder, semi-rounded rim, and applied lug handles, decorated with a boldly-brushed fuchsia vine design at the shoulder between freehand stripes. Midsection inscribed in large cobalt script with the firm name, "Day & Ross," underscored by a freehand stripe. Base inscribed in cobalt with large freehand "10" flanked by wavy stripes and underscored by a longer stripe. Cobalt highlights to handle terminals. Reverse impressed with the maker's mark, "J. HAMILTON," used by the Beaver, Pennsylvania-trained potter, James Hamilton, shortly into his long and illustrious tenure in Greensboro, Pennsylvania. Signifying the importance of this vessel when it was manufactured is the incised-script signature of the potter himself, "J. Hamilton," on the underside. This jar is one of a few surviving pieces that were specially-made by James Hamilton for the firm of Day & Ross. While it is unclear exactly who comprised this merchant firm, our best guess is that it was made up of Frank Day and William Ross of Day's Store, Pennsylvania, located in Greene County, northwest of Waynesburg. Day's merchant shop doubled as the local post office and therefore gave its name to Day's Store. (Frank Day naturally served as postmaster.) While the identity of the "Ross" in Day's partnership is less certain, a William Ross of Day's Store appears in an 1867 patent listing. Ross had concocted a new means of preserving meat and butter; since crocks like this one were used for just such a purpose, it seems likely that William is indeed the mysterious Ross. Featuring a desirable large size, strong color, artistic brushwork, and the hand-incised signature of one of the state's most famous potters, this jar as among the most important Greensboro, Pennsylvania stoneware objects to come to auction in recent years. Literature: For a related work, see Schaltenbrand, Stoneware of Southwestern Pennsylvania, p. 122. A thin, 12 1/2" inverted Y-shaped crack under right handle. A chip to reverse end of left handle. A few shallow chips to underside along bottom edge and a shallow 7/8" chip to base on reverse. Some light scattered exfoliation to reverse. Some very minor wear to front of jar. H 19 1/2".
