I have been intrigued with these type of twentieth century stoneware face jugs for a few years now; in fact, I have watched a small group of these sell in recent years at a few auction houses, including Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland. Although, most recently, this example sold a few weeks ago at Case Antiques in Knoxville, Tennessee, described as a "female face vessel with paint decorated surface made by the Kennedy Pottery Company of Wilkes County, North Carolina."
Interestingly, though, there is also information that identifies a small number of these face jugs surfacing in the 1990s, all of which were reportedly made by a "Mr. Nelson in North Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, North Carolina in the 1920s."
This particular jug sold for $900 plus the auction premiums, even though prices have varied for this type of production in the last decade, with other examples selling for thousands of dollars. The face forms of this type of production also vary from female faces such as this example to various male faces. Some of the examples were also manufactured with bail handles made out of a metal with a wooden handle for carrying the jug.
Female Face Jug Manufactured in Wilkes County, North Carolina
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