Thomas Chandler (1810–1854) was probably the most skilled and innovative of all the Edgefield potters. It is believed that he is a descendent of John Chandler of Fulham, one of Britain’s earliest stoneware potters. Like many of the vessels produced at Edgefield, this jar assumes a shape that essentially is English, complete with four lug handles. It is most closely related to the bread pots produced in the northeast of that country. Here Chandler uses the alkaline glaze that Edgefield was renowned for. The stylized flowers and swags that ornament the jar’s shoulders are made with iron slip. Such decoration is highly unusual in southern stoneware and may represent one of Chandler’s most significant contributions to the medium.

Related examples: Ferrell Collection (Edgefield 1976, no. 51); ad for Estate Antiques (Antiques 148 [September 1995], p. 293).

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.