Image scanned from a transparency and color-corrected by Pat Cagney.

Swirlware Face Jug

Artist Charles Lisk (American)

Manufacturer Lisk Pottery

CultureAmerican

Date1993

MediumClear glazed stoneware

DimensionsOverall: 16 1/2 in. (41.9 cm)

InscribedIncised initials between handles near spout: "CL".

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number94.1.12

Not on view

Label TextCharles Lisk American (b. 1952), Moore County, North Carolina Swirlware Face Jug, 1993 Clear glazed stoneware Museum Purchase 94.1.12 Charles Lisk is a talented student of Burlon Craig, the last of North Carolina's true folk potters. Lisk's work consists mainly of face jugs, in which the use of two differently colored clays produces a swirled effect. Face jugs are thought to have been made initially by slaves, though their original purpose is still unknown. They have since been used in store window displays to attract customers. They are sometimes jokingly made in the image of someone the potter knows. They are now avidly collected. There are numerous examples in Hampton Roads collections and five such jugs in the Museum alone. Edited By: GLYExhibition History"Southern Pottery from the Collection of The Chrysler Museum," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, March 3/4 - May 29, 1994. "Treasures for the Community: The Chrysler Collects, 1989-1996," October 25, 1996 - March 2, 1997 Published ReferencesWilliam W. Ivey. NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHERN FOLK POTTERY. Museum of North Carolina Traditional Pottery, Inc., Seagrove, NC. 1991: p. 46, ill.