Outstanding Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Federal Eagle Decoration, Stamped "STEDMAN & SEYMOUR / NEW-HAVEN," CT origin, circa 1830, ovoid jug with tooled shoulder and semi-rounded spout, decorated with an incised and cobalt-highlighted design of a Federal eagle, the bird clutching arrows and an olive branch in its talons and emblazoned with a heart-shaped shield bearing stars and stripes across its chest. Cobalt accents to maker's mark. A wonderful rendering of this iconic American symbol, featuring a folky style to the depiction. The image's heart-shaped shield and anatomical inaccuracies, evident in the oversized eye, wide beak, and ringed neck, add to its appeal. A New Haven jug with Federal eagle decoration, signed by Absalom Stedman of this same partnership, ranks among the greatest incised works in all of American stoneware. Provenance: Sotheby's, To Arms!: Uniforms, Painted Napsacks, Canteens, Cap Plates, and Other Related Militia Accoutrements from the Private Collection of William H. Guthman, January 19, 2003, lot 221. A tight crack extending 5" from right of eagle's beak upward to shoulder and diagonally downward 5 1/2" towards base of handle. An in-the-firing chip (iron ping) to reverse of spout, adjacent to a shallow in-the-firing spout flake, which includes a small, C-shaped in-the-firing crack at top of spout. A few short, very faint lines at base, probably in-the-firing. Three small, glazed-over base chips. Some staining. H 16".
