Face Jug
Dateca. 1862
Attributed to
Davies Pottery
MediumAlkaline-glazed stoneware
DimensionsOverall: 5in. (12.7cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number2014.900.1
DescriptionFace jug with a thick alkaline glaze and tooled spout on an ovoid body. Relief facial features were added to the jug opposite the pulled handle including eyes and teeth fashioned from Kaolin.Label TextFace vessels of this type were made in the Edgefield district of South Carolina by enslaved potters during the nineteenth century. It is still unclear what function these jugs served, but there is evidence to propose that they were more than just amusing sculptural forms. The Davies Pottery was one of a number of white-owned potteries in South Carolina that relied on enslaved labor for much of their production. These early jugs appear to be the inspiration for face jugs made in the south during the twentieth century.
