Figure of a Spaniel

Born in Kentucky, potter John Lewis Stone learned his trade at Cornwall and Wallace Kirkpatrick’s Anna Pottery in Anna, Illinois, celebrated for its whimsical, snake-covered temperance jugs. Stone later relocated to Texas, where he managed William Knox’s pottery in Oletha and worked for its subsequent owner, John Fowler, until 1875. Incised with his initials, J. L. S., this spaniel form was popular throughout the 1800s, tracing its roots to classic British Staffordshire dogs and their American counterparts. Unlike standard British and American production pieces, which were molded, Stone’s spaniel is a unique folk-art piece sculpted entirely by hand.