American Art Devil Face Jug Made in Arden, North Carolina, United States, North and Central Americac. 1923-36 Design attributed to Davis P. Brown, American, 1895 - 1967. Made by Brown Pottery, Arden, North Carolina. Painted stoneware * Gallery 109, American Art, first floor 1998-147-1 |
Purchased with funds contributed by Keith and Lauren Morgan, Joan and Victor Johnson, and with the Baugh-Barber Fund, the Katharine Levin Farrell Fund, the Thomas Skelton Harrison Fund, and the Joseph E. Temple Fund, 1998LabelInscribed: T.S. MORRISON HARDWARE STORE LEXINGTON AVENUE ASHEVILLE NC North Carolina is home to a long tradition of small family potteries that produce primarily domestic objects. A distinctive southern form, face jugs were created from standard jugs to which facial features were added. They supposedly originated as grave markers, but were just as likely to have been a potter's whimsy. As the inscription attests, Davis Brown designed this stoneware jug for display in the window of T. S. Morrison's hardware store in Asheville, which sold utilitarian wares by the Brown Pottery. However, women from a local church were offended by the image of Satan and demanded the jug's removal. * Works in the collection are moved off view for many different reasons. Although gallery locations on the website are updated regularly, there is no guarantee that this object will be on display on the day of your visit. |
