Double-Handled Whiskey Jug

Franklin Lafayette ("Fate") Becham, Double-Handled Whiskey Jug, before 1918, alkaline glaze stoneware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.29
Copied Franklin Lafayette ("Fate") Becham, Double-Handled Whiskey Jug, before 1918, alkaline glaze stoneware, 17 5⁄8 x 13 1⁄8 in. (44.8 x 33.3 cm.) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.29

Artwork Details

Title
Double-Handled Whiskey Jug
Artist
Date
before 1918
Location
Dimensions
17 5⁄8 x 13 1⁄8 in. (44.8 x 33.3 cm.) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
alkaline glaze stoneware
Classifications
Object Number
1986.65.29
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.29

Artwork Description

The initials "FLB" on the handle of this jug mark this as the work of Fate Becham, although the whole family used the same beehive shape and alkaline glaze in their work. He made the "tobacco spit" or "rock" glaze by adding pieces of iron-bearing materials to a lime mixture. In the kiln, the glaze melted and ran down the pot to create the mottled appearance (Lynda Hartigan, Made with Passion, 1990).