Face Jug
Dateca. 1895
Maker
Mark Baynham
1878 - 1937
MediumAsh-glazed stoneware
DimensionsOH: 5"; OW: 4 7/16"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number2009.900.3
DescriptionOn a circular base, the form is fairly straight as it rises with slight indentations half way up the sides of the front helping to give the impression of cheeks and cheek bones. A narrow spout sits at the top with a strap handle pulled from the base of the spout directly opposite the vessel's face. Large, applied, c-shaped ears appear on either side of the vessel. The front of the jug is shaped as a face, with large, protruding eyes the centers of which are composed of white unglazed clay with small holes in the center representing pupils. The nose is long and triangular in shape. The lips of the mouth are pulled back in a grimace showing two rows of teeth made from white unglazed clay. The exterior of the jug is coated in an Albany slip (iron-rich wash) resulting in a rich metallic brown and the piece is finished with an alkaline glaze. The name of the potter is stamped into the back of the jug, at the base, beneath the handle.Label TextThe maker of this small pot was influenced by earlier face jugs created by enslaved and free African-American potters in South Carolina. Stamped with the name of the white potter Mark Baynham, it is currently the only known small 19th century face jug marked with the name of a potter or pottery owner.The object represents the transition from the earlier 19th century African-American-made face jugs to the caricature-like face jugs produced during the 20th century by white potters, as seen elsewhere in the collection.
Mark(s)Stamped "MARK°" at the base of the jug, beneath the handle, opposite the face.ProvenancePurchased by Mark Newell from eBay in 2002
Early 19th c.
Probably 1880-1905
