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Very Rare Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Stenciled Cobalt Tavern Scene, Stenciled "From / James Hamilton & Co. / Greensboro, PA," circa 1875, ovoid jug with tooled shoulder and spout, decorated with an elaborate stenciled design of three men drinking around a table. A central figure holds a wine bottle and glass, while a second falls backward, presumably inebriated, raising a wine glass in one hand and holding his feathered hat in the other. A third figure assumes a relaxed, seated position with arm draped over the back of his chair. Stenciled above with the large signature, "From / James Hamilton & Co / Greensboro. Pa." Base stenciled with a "3" flanked by stenciled vines. One of a small group of James Hamilton jugs known bearing this iconic, intricately-stenciled motif, possibly emblematic of the strong drink the jug was designed to hold. Literature: For a related example, see Schaltenbrand, Stoneware of Southwestern Pennsylvania, pg. 168. A tight spider crack extending around shoulder area. In-the-making stacker marks to shoulder area. A 1" base chip, possibly in-the-making. An in-the-firing contact mark to midsection on front. Some staining to base area. H 16 1/2".
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