Exceptional Four-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Cobalt Standing Deer Scene, Stamped "J. & E. NORTON / BENNINGTON, VT," circa 1855, large-sized, cylindrical jug with semi-rounded spout, profusely-decorated with a slip-trailed scene of a stag with turned head, standing between two bushes with a stump and split-rail fence in the back ground. Elaborate spotted and swag-like details to the deer's body. Stylized ground cover throughout. Cobalt highlights to maker's mark and capacity mark. The finest Norton standing deer jug that we have seen, this work features an unusually large size to both the vessel and design. The deer alone stands an impressive 10 1/2" tall, the entire design exhibiting crisp slip-trailing and excellent color. Provenance: Marlin G. Denlinger Auction, October 24, 1993, lot 149, illustrated on cover and inside cover of auction catalog; Ex-Collection of Richard Carter Barret, Bennington, VT, noted author of Bennington Pottery and Porcelain, A Color Guide to Bennington Pottery, among others. Lot includes letter from Barret discussing the damage to the rump of the stag. He writes, "The small triangular missing piece on the rump of the standing stag was missing when I bought it in 1953. It was the first standing stag I had ever seen for sale. I am certain the thinness of the one side of the jug was the cause of the damage. . ." A 7/8" x 3/8" hole to haunch of deer. An approximately 8" in-the-firing surface crack at base. Very minor chipping to interior of spout. In-the-firing surface lines to upper handle terminal. Light staining. H 17".
