Face Jug

Quillan Lanier Meaders, Face Jug, ca. 1972, glazed stoneware and stones, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.28
Copied 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
Date
ca. 1972
Location
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
Mediums Description
glazed stoneware and stones
Classifications
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.