Rare Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Tree-of-Life Decoration, attributed to Stephen B. Sweeney, Henrico County, VA, circa 1838-1863, ovoid jar with heavily-tooled shoulder, squared rim, and applied lug handles, decorated on the front and reverse with a brushed and slip-trailed tree-of-life design. Brushed cobalt highlights to handle terminals. The design on this jar, based on the iconic tree-of-life motif of Henry Lowndes' Petersburg, VA pottery, is indicative of the transfer of decorative styles within the James River potting community. Rim chips. In-the-firing slump to rim. A 2 1/4" in-the-firing flake to one handle. A glazed-over base chip. A faint 2 1/4" Y-shaped line under one handle and a faint 1 1/4" line to shoulder, both not visible on interior.