STORAGE JARS
1780 – 1830
Southwestern Virginia, Possibly Wythe County, Virginia
Lead-glazed earthenware
Left HOA: 7 3/4”, Middle HOA: 11 ½”, Right HOA: 8 ¾”
From left:
MESDA Purchase Fund (3761)
MESDA Purchase Fund (acc. 3653.2)
Gift of Frank L. Horton (acc. 3710)
In southwest Virginia and eastern Tennessee, the major pottery centers were in counties bordering the Great Road that stretched down the spine of the Shenandoah Valley from Southern Pennsylvania. Most of the surviving forms are storage jars, and many have recovery histories in Wythe County, Virginia. Related wares have also been attributed to members of the Cain family who were active in Sullivan County, Tennessee. With their ovoid bodies, molded handles, and lustrous black, green, and clear lead glazes, several of these vessels resemble those produced by Moravian potters in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.
