Extremely Rare Four-Gallon Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Jar with Ravenswood, WV Advertising, Stenciled "MANU'FD. BY T.F. REPPERT, / GREENSBORO. PA.," circa 1880, semi-ovoid jar with tooled shoulder, applied lug handles, and semi-rounded rim, featuring the stenciled cobalt advertising, "H.L. VANMATRE. / & CO. / DRY GOODS AND / QUEEN'S, GROCERIES. / AND / STONEWARE / RAVENSWOOD. W. VA.," below a stenciled tulip motif. Stenciled below with the signature, "MANU'FD. BY T.F. REPPERT, / GREENSBORO. PA." Shoulder decorated with straight and wavy freehand stripes. Base with freehand "4" flanked by flourishes, underscored by a freehand stripe. Cobalt highlights to handle terminals. Among the finest examples of West Virginia advertising stoneware that we have offered in recent years, featuring a desirable combination of exceptionally rare Ravenswood stenciling and the stenciled signature of the potter. Provenance: From a fifty-year West Virginia collection. Very nice condition with some staining and minor surface wear. Rim of jar is slightly out-of-round. H 14 3/4".