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Face Flask

A work made of stoneware and salt glaze with iron and cobalt oxide glazes.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of stoneware and salt glaze with iron and cobalt oxide glazes.

Date:

1820–35

Artist:

Artist unknown (American, 19th century)
New England, possibly Connecticut

About this artwork

By the early 1800s various groups of potters in the eastern United States were making ceramic vessels representing the human face. In this instance, the potter rendered the features through a combination modeling the eyes, nose, mouth, and one ear in three dimensions; incising the hair and other ear into the clay; and using contrasting glazes for the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth. Meant to hold shot or powder, the flask originally had a stopper. It was once owned by the Congregational minister, missionary, and explorer Samuel Parker (1779–1866), who was known for creating the earliest reliable map of the Oregon Territory in 1838. Parker also advised the US Government on locations for the Transcontinental Railroad.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Artist unknown

Title

Face Flask

Place

New England (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

c. 1820–1835

Medium

Stoneware and salt glaze with iron and cobalt oxide glazes

Dimensions

12.1 × 8.9 × 12.7 cm (4 3/4 × 15 × 5 in.)

Credit Line

Wilson L. Mead Fund; Stanley and Polly Stone Endowment

Reference Number

2007.462

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/192281/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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