Extremely Rare Dipped Slip Stoneware Bottle, Impressed "BEST COLOGNE GIN FROM / ERSKINE & EICHELBERGER / BALTIMORE," Baltimore, MD origin, circa 1834-1845, cylindrical form with sloped neck and semi-rounded spout, the surface dipped in an Albany slip and covered in a clear salt glaze. Upper body with advertising for Cologne Gin from the firm of James P. Erskine and O.W. Eichelberger. This bottle is the first example featuring this advertising that we have seen. Among the earliest Baltimore stoneware bottles known, its salt-over-Albany-slip glaze treatment is highly unusual for the region, giving it the appearance of older English and American iron-dipped stoneware. The subject matter, Cologne Gin, is rare among any stoneware bottles produced in America. Literature: Illustrated and discussed in Kille, "Distinguishing Marks and Flowering Designs: Baltimore's Utilitarian Stoneware Industry," Ceramics in America 2005, p. 113, fig. 44. Excellent condition with a minuscule base nick and tiny glazed-over base chip. H 9".