XXX RARE Late 19C ARKANSAS STONEWARE FACE JUG TYPE CIGAR HOLDER XXX
Superb folk art piece discovered in Eureka Springs, Arkansas in the 1970s at a local family estate sale. During the last few decades of the 19th century, ES was a booming resort town where Eastern visitors could see the “frontier” safely or relax in the numerous bath houses and spas. Many of these wealthy tourists brought along their Black servants, maids, coachman, etc. As a result, there was a sizeable local Black population that catered to the needs of the other tourists. There were separate restaurants, lodging, saloons, etc. For both sets of visitors. It is in one of these bars that this piece was likely used. It would have sat on top of a bar, filled with cigars that doubled as hair. Upon close up inspection, there are dozens of linear scratches through the once shiny glaze. These were caused by being struck with the old style self lighting matches countless times over many years. The base also shows massive wear from heavy use. The jar itself is created in the style of earlier Southern face jugs more often created farther southeast in Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas. It is my belief that someone familiar with these pieces migrated to ES in the 1870-80s, and attempted to create this (and likely others) head using the lower quality rocky red clay found in the Ozarks. Perhaps even crafting it in a small home made kiln, as there is no evidence of large scale production in the area at the time. There are some expected blemishes with heavy wear as described. There is an old ear repair. The condition is fairly consistent with this type of originally utilitarian object that was often used for decades. This is an important and unique piece of regional stoneware that has lived in my personal collection for many years. SIZE: 7 from ear to ear. Condition: Overall very good condition for this type of piece. Expected aging and wear. Please use photos and description to determine condition. Thanks for your business.
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