West Tennessee jar, marked T. W. Craven

Important West Tennessee two handled jar, marked "T.W. Craven", other side with a free hand star mark. Crimped medial flange joining both halves of the jar. Henderson County, TN. Condition - repair and restoration to crack near midsection which circles down to the base and appears to end near midsection. 21 3/8" height. The Cravens were important potters in the Piedmont area of NC and are best known for their salt-glazed stoneware (See Smith and Rogers' Survey of Historic Pottery Making in Tennessee and Turners and Burners by Charles Zug.) Around 1829, Thomas Craven b. 1775 NC and his family moved out of NC. He and three of his sons, Balaam, John M., and Solomon moved to Clarke Co. GA. His other two sons, William R. and Tinsley W., along with his brother-in-law, John Fesmire moved to TN. They can be found in the 1830 Henderson Co. census. Tinsley's known stamps are T W:CRAVEN or T.W. CRAVEN & CO. Tinsley W. died in Henderson Co. in 1860. This jar is illustrated in "Art of Tennessee" book, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, Tennessee, p. 123, illustration 90, and was exhibited in the Frist "Art of Tennessee" exhibit from September 2003 - January 2004. Research courtesy of Carole Wahler.