Jug 1815 - 1822

Editor: So, this is “Jug,” made sometime between 1815 and 1822, crafted by George Benton and Levi Stewart. It's earthenware, right? It's... weathered, almost like an artifact, you know? What catches your eye about this jug? Curator: Weathered is right, it whispers stories! I find myself drawn to the bird, crudely etched into the surface. It’s like a fleeting thought made permanent. And that earthy stoneware, do you see how the glaze pooled, almost randomly, creating these dark rivers? It's beauty in imperfection. Almost as if time had its way, gently aging a part of someone's past. Editor: I noticed the bird too! Is there any significance to that symbol at the time? Curator: Possibly! A bird could mean a million things—freedom, the soul, or just a common barnyard critter. It is what is not said, rather than what is, I always find alluring. This piece makes you imagine the everyday life, and who poured from this vessel, and the conversations they held. Editor: I suppose it really personalizes it, doesn't it? All this wear-and-tear...makes you wonder where this has been. Curator: Precisely! It’s that sense of shared history. Maybe it's the kind of object you'd find on a pioneer's shelf, or perhaps gathering dust in an old store, a silent witness. Don't you think it invites speculation, even a touch of romanticizing the past? Editor: It does a bit. I guess I was so caught up in the object itself, I missed the chance to think of where it’s been! Curator: That’s the beauty of art, isn’t it? To shift our perspective and maybe even ignite the dormant romantic in us! Now if only it could talk...