Jug Jug Rendered by George Loughridge , c. The bulging egg shape of this jug was a common form before 1840. Early stoneware was decorated simply, usually with an incised design. It became increasingly common to enhance the incised decoration with blue slip, painted on before firing and glazing.
Cobalt blue is the characteristic color of stoneware decoration.
The bow knot design that appears on this piece was a favored motif of Thomas Commeraw, a potter who made stoneware between 1802 and 1820 at Corlear's Hook, near New York. Notice that the jug is marked with his name and the location of his pottery, a frequent practice in the nineteenth century.