Extremely Rare Multi-Glazed Redware Water Cooler, attributed to J. Eberly & Co., Strasburg, VA, circa 1890, wheel-thrown cooler with pedestal base, ovoid body, and narrow mouth, featuring a raised band at the shoulder bearing an applied drape and tasseled rope motif, each handle in the form of a twisted ring secured by a scrolled strap, surrounding a rose. Bunghole modeled in the form of a fox's head. Reverse with applied decorative strap at shoulder. Surface coated in copper over cream-colored slip and covered in a clear lead glaze. Exceptional form. Provenance: Illustrated and discussed in Comstock, The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region, p. 284, fig. 5.227. Comstock discusses this cooler at length, noting that Jacob Kern purchased a cooler for over six dollars from the Eberlys, probably of this type. He states that "it is likely that a molded cooler and an elaborate shell base was delivered to Kern. This water cooler is one of the Eberly shop's most unusual products." Full restoration to fox head bunghole. Significant glaze loss to base area of cooler and pedestal. Chips to shoulder molding and applied decoration. Wear to rim. H 18 1/2".
