Rare and Important One-Gallon Lidded Stoneware Jar with Incised Bird and Fish Motifs, Dated 1877 within an Incised Border, attributed to Chester Webster, Randolph County, NC, 1877, cylindrical jar with rounded shoulder, flared collar, and heavily-incised banding extending from the midsection to the rim; decorated on the front with the incised date, "1877," within an incised border, accented with impressed circles and sprouting with two two leafy branches above. Impressed with a circular one-gallon capacity mark. Decorated on one side with a rare incised design of a heavily-scaled fish with "zipper-like" mouth- perhaps Webster's most distinctive design. Decorated on opposing side with a detailed incised design of a crested bird perched on a branch with a leaf in its beak. Salt-glazed surface. Includes original salt-glazed stoneware lid. The combination of three different incised designs on one jar, including two of Webster's most iconic motifs, the bird and the fish, is noteworthy. Among this potter's finest works to come to auction in years. Literature: Illustrated in Scarborough and Scarborough, North Carolina Decorated Stoneware: The Webster School of Folk Potters, pg. 66. A semi-circular crack underside with a second crack extending from it appproximately 6 3/4" up body of jar, where it forms a Y. A 7/8" rim chip. Lid in excellent, essentially as-made condition. H 11 3/4".
