Cranston Pottery
Four-Gallon Jar

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Four-Gallon Jar
Datec. 1854–1890
Made inAlton (former town), Texas, United States
MediumSlip-glazed stoneware
Dimensions15 3/8 × 11 1/2 in. diameter (39.1 × 29.2 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of William J. Hill
Object numberB.2012.47
Not on view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

Irish-born potter John Cranston came to Denton County, Texas, from Missouri, purchasing land for his pottery there in 1854. Cranston died about 1867, and his widow, Nancy Cranston, continued the firm’s operation. Some of Cranston’s pots feature cobalt slip decoration, common on wares from Northeastern and Midwestern potteries, but rare in Texas.

This ovoid jar bears an incised four-gallon capacity mark.


Provenance[Jon St. Clair, Austin]; purchased by William J. Hill (1934–2018), Houston, date unknown; given to MFAH, 2012.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Incised: 4

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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