This is a thrift store find from earlier this week near Boston in Saugus, Massachusetts! I will probably give this small stoneware jug to my mom for Mother’s Day, seeing that she is a big gardener; the jug was made somewhere in the northeast in the 1800s, perhaps New York or Massachusetts, although it is painted with a group of Iris’; it is also decorated in different shades of green, while the handle and the rim of the jug were painted gold. I suspect the decoration dates from the 1920s to the 1930s after the Iris took the American gardening scene by storm in the spring of 1920. The jug also retains some type of history of ownership in the Boston area, and it may have been painted locally, as well.
According to the American Iris Society and an article published in the June 1921 issue of The Garden Magazine, which was later reprinted by the Historic Iris Preservation Society, "Suddenly, in the spring of 1920 the world awoke to the fact that the Iris was the coming American garden flower. Amateurs everywhere were inquiring about Iris varieties, where to buy them, how to plant them; communities were planting public Iris gardens; and Iris shows were being held."
Furthermore, a lot of later painted pottery is stripped today to see if there is any hidden decoration beneath the paint; I am often reluctant to do this because the paint is also part of the object’s history, such as the paint on this jug. In fact, it could even be argued that the paint on this jug is more important than the jug itself from an American historical context.
However, there are always cases where the object should absolutely be stripped, although there are other times when the artwork is just as important as the object. It is really a scenario that should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
For instance, found in the collection of the American Art Museum at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. is a basic late nineteenth century stoneware jug that is said to have been used for whiskey, although it was later painted by noted twentieth century folk artist Clementine Hunter (1886/1887-1988) sometime during the circa 1970-1980 period.
Hunter was a self-taught African American artist known for her painted depictions of early twentieth century planation life in Louisiana, whereas her colorful paintings did not rely on traditional perspective, and instead took on her own creative approach of day-to-day activities on plantations. Her works were often created on plates, discarded fabric and other readily available materials. Additionally, she did not start painting until the 1940s when she was already a grandmother. The first exhibit that showcased Hunter's work happened in 1949, but she did not garner public attention until the 1970s when both the American Folk Art Museum in New York City and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibited some of her artwork.
According to the American Art Museum, "The jug portrays the Three Wise Men bearing gifts to the newborn Jesus, as well as their accompanying angel, as people of color. By depicting the figures in the biblical tale with dark skin, Hunter proposes an alternative worldview—one that places Black Christianity and history at the center of storied narratives and important events."
Two Painted 19th Century Stoneware Jugs
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
No comments:
Post a Comment