J.& E. Norton

Early German settlers brought to America salt-glazed stoneware vessels, safe and sturdy containers which were used for storing a range of foodstuffs and liquids. Salt glaze is made by throwing common salt into the hot kiln; the sodium acts as a melting agent, reacting with the clay’s silica and causing a slightly textured glaze to form on the surface of the objects.

The jug’s stamps reveal that it holds four gallons and was made by J. & E. Norton, a prolific pottery in Bennington, Vermont. The soft beige body is embellished with a cobalt-oxide decoration of a deer in a forest setting, one of the company’s most sought-after designs.