Extremely Rare and Important Three-Gallon Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Jar, Stamped "PHOENIX FACTORY / ED : SC," Shaw's Creek, Edgefield District, SC circa 1840, ovoid jar with rounded rim and arched tab handles, the front decorated with a large, broadly-brushed iron-slip floral motif with wreath-shaped blossom surrounding the maker's mark, the reverse with large iron-slip tulip motif, all against a gray-green alkaline-glazed ground. One of a small number of marked Phoenix Factory stoneware objects known, this significant recent discovery was made during the brief partnership of Collin Rhodes and Robert Mathis along Edgefield District's Shaw's Creek. Pieces produced during this period are known for the refined potting and Baltimore-inspired brushed slip floral motifs of its lead potter, Thomas Chandler. This pottery bears the distinction of being the first Edgefield stoneware pottery to use slip decoration on a regular basis, setting a new standard for regional ceramic production. A jug-form cooler by Chandler, depicting two African-American figures and bearing the Phoenix Factory stamp, ranks among the greatest American ceramic objects known. The jar in this auction features classic elements of Phoenix Factory production in its even glazing, elegant potting, and bold slip brushwork. Marked and attributed pieces from this pottery bearing related decoration are typically ascribed to Robert Mathis. To our knowledge, this jar is the first piece bearing a Phoenix Factory stamp—Edgefield's rarest and most prized maker's mark—to come to auction in well over a decade. Provenance: Recently surfaced in North Carolina. Excellent condition with chipping to base and a few minor, in-the-firing surface flaws. H 13 3/4".
