Face Jug

Quillan Lanier Meaders, Face Jug, ca. 1972, glazed stoneware and stones, 9 ¹⁄₄ x 8 ¹⁄₂ x 8 ¹⁄₈ in. (23.5 x 21.6 x 20.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.28

Artwork Details

Title: Face Jug
Artist: Quillan Lanier Meaders
Date: ca. 1972
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
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3rd Floor
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28B
Dimensions: 9 ¹⁄₄ x 8 ¹⁄₂ x 8 ¹⁄₈ in. (23.5 x 21.6 x 20.5 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums: stone
stoneware
Mediums Description: glazed stoneware and stones
Classifications: Decorative Arts
Subjects: Figure — head
Object Number: 1986.65.28
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.28

Artwork Description

The Meaders family pottery has made face jugs since it opened in 1893, using locally dug clays, foot-powered wheels, and homemade glazes. Quillan Lanier Meaders never understood the huge popularity of his face jugs, saying that the people who bought them must be "just crazy to start with" (The News and Observer, North Carolina, 1993). This piece is a devil jug, with pointed ears, slanting eyes, and small horns.