Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: The Museum Year 2011

The Year

Art of the Americas: July 2009–June 2011

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Face Jug

about 1860
Unknown Maker
Made at Thomas Davies Pottery
Overall: 17.1 x 12.1 x 11.7 cm (6 3/4 x 4 3/4 x 4 5/8 in.)
Stoneware, alkaline (ash) glaze; kaolin clay inserts

Classification: Ceramics

Object Place: South Carolina

Accession number: 2011.1809

Description: Tall ovoid face vessel with spout at top. Dark brown glaze. One eyebrow extends across the forehead. Eyes and teeth made from unglazed white kaolin set in earthenware body. Individual triangular teeth made from kaolin set in the earthenware body, and left unglazed using wax-resist.

Provenance/Ownership History: Early history unknown. About 1997, sold by Tony L. Shank, Marion, S.C., to John Axelrod, Boston; 2011, sold by Axelrod to the MFA. (Accession date: June 22, 2011)

The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, and The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection