Three-Gallon Salt-Glazed Stoneware Crock with Coba

This salt-glazed stoneware crock features a straight-sided cylindrical form with a thick, rounded overhanging rim and two applied lug handles. The exterior is finished in a traditional light tan salt glaze, while the interior is coated with a dark brown Albany-type slip glaze. The front of the vessel is decorated with a large, stylized number 3 rendered in cobalt blue slip-trailing, denoting a three-gallon capacity. The decoration includes a circular flourish at the top and a loopy horizontal base. A small cobalt drip is present on the top rim directly above the central decoration. No impressed maker's stamp or factory mark is visible on the body. The underside of the base shows faint, illegible markings in pencil or chalk. This piece is characteristic of American stoneware from the mid-to...