John Davis Leopard
Jar

MakerAmerican, active 1850–1883
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Jar
Datec. 1850–1883
Made inHenderson, Texas, United States
MediumAlkaline-glazed stoneware
Dimensions16 11/16 × 9 3/4 in. diameter (42.3 × 24.8 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of William J. Hill
Object numberB.2012.93
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Kilroy Center
Exposé

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

John Leopard was born in 1800 in Edgefield, South Carolina, into a family well established in the area’s pottery making tradition. He lived in Alabama before coming to Rusk County, Texas, by 1850. Prior to establishing his own pottery in Henderson, he was probably employed by James Prothro. His pots are notable for their elegantly formed profiles and carefully executed rims and handles.

The storage jars and churns attributed to Leopard are supremely elegant versions of these southern forms. The shapes taper in a long line from the shoulder to the narrow base, and the very substantial double-cavetto, or concave, rim contrasts with a narrow neck. Carefully formed lug handles thin out from the pot’s shoulder to the handle’s tip. The glazes of Leopard’s large vessels often cascade down the shoulder in dramatic patterns, as in this exceptional jar.


Provenance[Jon St. Clair, Austin]; purchased by William J. Hill (1934–2018), Houston, 2002; given to MFAH, 2012.
Exhibition History"A Texas Legacy: Selections from the William J. Hill Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 2, 2016–January 2, 2017.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
[no signature]
[no marks]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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Jar
John Davis Leopard
c. 1850–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.95
Jar
John Davis Leopard
c. 1850–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.96
Jar
John Davis Leopard
c. 1850–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.94
Jar
John Davis Leopard
c. 1850–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.91
Jar
John Davis Leopard
c. 1850–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.90.A,.B
Churn
John Davis Leopard
c. 1850–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.168
Churn
John Davis Leopard
c. 1850–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.169
Pitcher
John Davis Leopard
c. 1850–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.98
Churn
John Davis Leopard
c. 1850–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware with wood
B.2012.97.A-.C
Jar
John Davis Leopard
c. 1846–1865
Slip-glazed stoneware
B.2012.100
Jar
Thomas Cranfill
c. 1860–1889
Salt-glazed or alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.135
Jar
after 1850
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.123