Exceptional Two-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "JOHN YOUNG & CO," Harrisburg, PA, circa 1856-1858, cylindrical jug with semi-rounded spout, decorated with a delicately slip-trailed design of a flowering plant bearing two large, heavily-spotted blossoms and spotted leaves. Cobalt accents to maker's mark and capacity mark. The design's overall style and slip-trailed application indicate it may have been executed by Young's partner at the time, Shem Thomas, who learned the trade from well-known Lyons, New York potter, Thompson Harrington. The decoration's size, crispness, and profuse application of spots rank it among the finest floral motifs on a piece bearing this stamp that we have offered. Provenance: Recently surfaced on the United States West Coast. In-the-firing chips (contact marks) to top of spout. In-the-firing fissures at handle terminals. A 1 1/2" base chip on reverse. Two small base chips on front. A small in-the-firing ping to left of decoration. A tiny in-the-firing ping near midsection on front. H 14 1/2".
