Exceptional Salt-and-Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Pitcher with Profuse Punchwork Decoration, Inscribed "C.T. Brown / Rock MiLLS," Charles Thomas "Charley" Brown, Rock Mills, AL origin, circa 1900, ovoid pitcher with footed base, flaring collar, and applied handle with thumbrest, decorated from the rim to midsection with incised banding and numerous gouged diagonal markings. Handle with additional gouged punchwork throughout. Intricate stippled incising on the body forms the signature, C.T. Brown / Rock MiLLS." Pitcher features an unusual treatment of a heavy salt glaze to the exterior and a light-green alkaline glaze to the interior. According to Brackner's Alabama Folk Pottery, the Georgia-trained Charles Thomas "Charley" Brown (1869-1934) "was one of the most prolific potters of Rock Mills. . . He never owned his own shop but worked for others, including Noah Mapp in Bacon Level, the Boggs of Rock Mills, and the Smiths in Lawley" (Brackner, p. 115, 219). This pitcher's imaginative incised decoration and stylish form rank it among the more expressive examples of Alabama salt-glazed stoneware known. Literature: Illustrated in Brackner, Alabama Folk Pottery, p. 119. Excellent condition with a small rim chip, a minor spout chip, and some additional wear to rim and spout. H 11".
