Outstanding Half-Gallon Stoneware Pitcher with Elaborate Cobalt Tulip Decoration, Stamped "J. SWANK & CO. / JOHNSTOWN. PA," circa 1860, ovoid pitcher with slightly-flared collar, brush-decorated with a sweeping stem bearing three large Germanic tulips, flanked on the left and right sides by two leaves. Spout decorated with brushed swags flanking a series of dashes. Additional horizontal swag decoration to sides of collar. Cobalt tulip motif to base of handle and highlight to upper handle terminal. Impressed on reverse with large "J. SWANK & CO / JOHNSTOWN. PA" mark above a half-gallon capacity mark. This pitcher is among the finest examples of Swank stoneware that we have ever offered. It was made early in the family's foray into stoneware production by brothers, Jacob and Hiram Swank, at a pottery previously owned by the firm Hamilton and Pershing, purchased in 1856 by Josiah Swank (Schaltenbrand, Big Ware Turners, p. 100). This work predates pieces made at the Swanks' more-prolific Kernville site, featuring a different clay body. different maker's mark, and unusually elaborate decoration in the Hamilton & Pershing style. The pitcher's large maker's mark adds visual appeal to this small-sized piece. Exhibited: What A Crock! Johnstown Potteries of the 19th Century, The Johnstown Area Heritage Association, 2006; included in exhibit catalog. Provenance: Estate of author and historian, Nancy Shedd, Petersburg, PA. Very nice condition with a 5/8" rim chip and some in-the-firing dryness to surface. H 8 3/4".
