Lot #: 474
Price Realized: $1,560.00
($1,300 hammer, plus 20% buyer's premium)
PLEASE NOTE: The American ceramics market frequently changes, often dramatically. Additionally, small nuances of color, condition, shape, etc. can mean huge differences in price. If you're interested in having us sell a similar item for you, please contact us here.
Very Rare Stoneware Face Jug, attributed to the Ferguson Family, possibly Charles P. Ferguson, Gillsville, GA, early 20th century, ovoid form with applied tubular pouring spout, decorated with a hand-modeled and applied clay face including bulging eyes, eyebrows, prominent nose, cheeks, open mouth, and unusual open ears designed to hold a bail handle. Incised hair to head and eyebrows. Recognizable by its squat form, distinctive facial features, and heavily-incised hair, this work is one of a small body of face jugs produced by the Ferguson family in Gillsville, Georgia, and was possibly made by Charles P. Ferguson (1851-1917). Ferguson's grandfather, Charles H. Ferguson (1793-1878), established the family pottery in Barrow County in 1846, after working for Abner Landrum in Pottersville, SC. This connection to South Carolina's Edgefield District may have influenced the Ferguson family in the production of face jugs after establishing their Georgia pottery. Nineteenth century face jugs from the state of Georgia are significantly rarer than their counterparts produced in South Carolina and Alabama. However, innovators, such as Charles Ferguson and members of the Hewell family, would inspire future generations to produce this form regularly within the state by the second half of the 20th century. Literature: For related examples, see Burrison, Brothers in Clay: The Story of Georgia Folk Pottery, pp. 74, 75, and 227. Provenance: Southern Folk Pottery Collectors Society, June 1, 2013; Carl and Marian Mullis Collection. Excellent, essentially as-made condition with a thin, 1/2" in-the-firing Y-shaped crack in spout. Traces of old white paint to surface. H 8".
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