Storage Jar
Date1850-1880
Attributed to
Nelson Bass
1846 - 1918
Attributed to
Thomas Ritchie
1825-1909
MediumAsh-glazed stoneware
DimensionsOH: 11"; Diam.(rim): 7"
Credit LineGift of Miss Blanche Sprinkle in memory of her sister Vivian Sprinkle
Object number1958-162
DescriptionTapering cylindrical jar bulbous on top and tapering in at neck, flaring out to wide rim; substantial handle at each side; covered with mottled gray-green neck.Label TextThis storage jar is undecorated, but the rich alkaline glaze found on it coupled with how well it is thrown highlight the most important characteristics of many of the stoneware pots produced in the Catawba Valley over a very long period of time. In an interview with potter Burlon Craig on July 10, 1981 Craig talked about Nelson Bass, one of the possible makers of this jar, and his comfort with his turning wheel. “They’s talking about their easy-turning lathes, you know, where it would turn so easy. And they was a-bragging on them, each guy, each turning, a bunch of turners was together. And Nelson [Bass], he said, ‘By golly’, said, ‘I could leave mine a-running and go eat dinner, and when I come back it’ll still be a-turning’.” Craig added that the treadle wheel, the implement the potters in that region of North Carolina used to throw pots was a very easy, smooth-running machine. Mark(s)None foundProvenanceMiss Blanche Sprinkle in memory of her sister Miss Vivian Sprinkle
Roanoke, Virginia
ca. 1750
