Washington County, Tennessee stoneware pottery pouring or water jar attributed to Charles Frederick Decker (1832-1914) with a pouring spout in the rim, sine wave decoration below the lug handles and one lug handle to the lower base edge. 14 3/8" H x 12 3/4" dia. Biography (Courtesy of Carole Wahler): Charles Frederick Decker was born in Germany in 1832. He arrived in Philadelphia in his late teens. Oral tradition suggests he worked at the Remmey Pottery before establishing his Keystone pottery there at the age of 25. He moved his family to Delaware for a few years and then back to Philadelphia. After 1869, Decker moved to Virginia, six miles north of Abingdon. The pottery he operated there was located on land owned by a man named Mallicote (Mallicoat). In 1872, he established his pottery in the Nolichucky River Valley near present day Johnson City, Tennessee. For a year or so he operated in both Virginia and Tennessee. He was one of a number of potters who settled in the region during the early years of Reconstruction. He named his Chucky Valley pottery the same name that he had used in Pennsylvania, Keystone Pottery. His pottery was marketed not only in East Tennessee, but also in North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky. (Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com.)

Old stabilized cracks to one side, beginning at the rim.