Rare glazed red earthenware covered jar with handles and slip decoration Probably Bucks County, Pennsylvania, dated 1790

Exterior slip: 1790

J. Stogdell Stokes, Philadelphia
Parke-Bernet, "Rare Americana Collected by the Late Anson Phelps Stokes," November 15-16, 1948, lot 38
Arthur J. Sussel, Philadelphia
Parke-Bernet Galleries, "The Collection of the Late Arthur J. Sussel," October 23-25, 1958, lot 244
Jess Pavey, Detroit
Garth's Auctions Inc., Delaware, Ohio, "The Jess Pavey Collection," October, 1967, lot 589

American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 131, fig. 91

Old repaired crack in the lid; old rim chip.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

While the form of this small covered jar is similar to several others thought to have been made within the early Moravian communities of southeastern Pennsylvania, its abstract decoration of arched, two-color slip is atypical among the known preferred motifs utilized by traditional folk potters in the region. Applied using a two-spouted slip cup, the graduated arched lines of yellow and green covering its sides and lid have been placed by the potter to give the impression of three-dimensional overlapping petals or shells.

Covered jars of this type were most likely used for storing foodstuffs such as sugar, various prepared medicines, or dried herbs. Small containers of this scale and form also held tobacco and snuff, as the unusual petal-like decoration may suggest. Thinly potted and glazed on its interior, the domed lid rests in a raised rim flange. The shallow reservoir at the juncture of lid and flange could be sealed with melted beeswax to keep the contents fresh.¹ While the maker of this jar remains unknown, its overall form and the character of its applied slip decoration show some relationship to the work of Christian Klinker (act. 1773-1798), of Bucks County. An open jar in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, signed by Klinker and dated 1787, incorporates the raised rim flange, beaded foot rim, and overall form seen in this example, as well as the unusual ruffled or crimped applied handles.² The slip decoration on the Klinker example also includes an abstract tulip formed by concentric arched lines laid down similarly to the arched petal or shell designs seen in this piece. -J.L.L.

¹ Two examples of these small lidded containers—one in the collection of the Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pa., and the other in the collection of PMA—retain traces of these early wax lid seals and the aroma of tobacco in their interiors.
² Garvan, Collection, pp. In 361, and Lichten, Rural Pennsylvania, pp. 22, 29•