Extremely Rare Glazed Redware Pig Flask, attributed to Daniel or Joseph Henne, Bern Township, Berks County, PA, circa 1830-1860, wheel-thrown form with hole at rear, elongated snout, and applied lop ears, tail, and legs with carved hooves, the surface profusely-decorated with combed incising. Impressed elliptical eyes and incised details to snout. Surface decorated with manganese and covered in a clear lead glaze. Of the few known Henne pig flasks, it is the only example that we have seen modeled in the form of a sow. The remainder known to us are male. Dating circa 1830 to 1860, it is among the earliest representations of a pig as a drinking vessel in American utilitarian pottery. The visual appeal of this form led a related flask to be chosen as the centerfold in the iconic book, American Radiance, which highlighted American folk art from the collection of Ralph Esmerian donated to the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. Literature: For a closely-related example, see Hollander, American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, fig. 114, p. 150. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, which surfaced several years ago in Pennsylvania. Excellent condition. A large chip to side of snout. In-the-firing chips to underside of three legs. A glazed-over, in-the-firing line to one leg. Lead-glazed surface survives in immaculate condition with a brilliant, "like-new" luster. L 10 1/2".
