Jack T. Maness

Jack Timothy Maness (1945-2012)

North Carolina Potter. Found potting in retirement after retiring from Energizer. Had a studio in Seagrove but lived in Asheboro according to a reputable source.

Marks:

Usually incised but there is also a stamp he used that said Jack T. Maness.

Normally signed with his full name Jack T. Maness. Most often incised in large clear block letters JACK T. MANESS on the bottom, usually in an arc around part of the edge. But sometimes incised on two straight lines like the below stamp.

Sometimes he used this stamp on two lines:

JACK T.

MANESS

Sometimes pieces are both signed and stamped. Occasionally, a piece is just stamped.

Almost never dated his work, but I think he did occasionally.

He may have sometimes signed his pieces JTM with each letter stair-stepping a little down from the previous letter, at least, I saw a piece on ebay signed that way and attributed to him. Another online auction listing said that a piece marked JTM that way was an apprentice with Bob Armfield. Could they be the same person? Almost certainly, since I have seen a piece signed JTM that has very striking similarities to features of signed Jack T. Maness works (see case below), but as Jack Maness did not start playing with pottery until his retirement and that seems an unlikely time of life to be someone's apprentice, maybe he just learned some things from Mr. Armfield for a time. But then, the towns of Asheboro and Ramseur are barely more than 10 miles apart, so maybe Jack Maness did put in some time as an apprentice to learn the craft; you never know.

Has made the usual forms you might sea around Seagrove, such as vases, ruffled plates, pitchers with ice lips, canisters with lids and also face jugs and figurines.

I thought I had seen at least one example on the Internet that had his signature but added the studio name Maness Pottery. Note that there was a different Maness Pottery (now Maness Pottery and Music Barn) in Carthage owned by Clyde Maness. I believe if you find a piece marked only Maness Pottery you have likely found one of Clyde's.

## The case for the connection between JTM and Jack T Maness, via Three Frogs

I believe I have helped to make a case that JTM was Jack T. Maness. Please comment if you have additional information.

First, note that reputable auction house Slotin Folk Art listed a collection of Jack T Maness pottery including 4 animal figurals, at least one of which is a frog (the photo is old and a terrible resolution: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/4306969\_2-jack-maness-animal-faces-on-small-face-jugs

Second, note that equally specialized folk pottery auction Ledbetter Folk Art & Americana listed this JTM folk art frog:

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/97866824\_jtm-folk-art-frog

Now, compare that frog with wings with the frogs on this signed Jack T. Maness pottery frog vase on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294255638509?nma=true&si=nBXSgMrvHDnNeJPsBdfUwqu%252BSBo%253D&orig\_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&\_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Note the similarities between the eyes, the nostrils, the front legs and feet and the back legs and feet (assuming the photographs are still there). Also note that in real life bullfrog nostrils tend to look like holes, not slits. Jack Maness did use more than one clay over his career, but if you look at the bottom of the frog I think you'll find that's one of them. If you have trouble finding the ebay listing for the frog vase, perhaps it will have been harvested by picclick by the time you read this.

References:

https://www.facebook.com/ncpots/posts/jack-t-maness-mini-devil-face-jug-seagrove-nc-1990sdimensions-4-tall-by-35-max-w/1389559757885989/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96534476/jack-timothy-maness