J. Miller Maker Strasburg Stoneware Jar

Item Description

Outstanding and Extremely Rare Ovoid Stoneware Jar with Bold Cobalt Foliate Decoration and the Date 1836, Stamped "J. MILLER / MAKER," John and James Miller, Strasburg, VA, ovoid jar with flared foot, rounded rim, and arching tab handles, decorated with a boldly brushed and slip-trailed cobalt foliate design extending from handle to handle on the front and back. The date "1836" is slip-trailed in cobalt under one handle. Impressed below the rim with the rarely seen maker's mark "J. MILLER / MAKER," which was used by the brothers, John and James Miller, at a pottery originally established by their father, William, in Strasburg, VA. This jar is the first signed example of early Miller pottery from Strasburg we have sold and certainly one of the finest examples of Shenandoah Valley stoneware to be sold at auction in recent years. Provenance: Recently found in Missouri. Base chips and handle chips. H 9 1/2".