Flask
MAKER: Born in 1799, Chester Webster was one of several family members who were employed at pottery factories in the Hartford, Connecticut, area. Chester Webster moved to North Carolina in 1827, likely joining his brother Edward in Fayetteville before the family moved to Randolph County. Several pioneering stoneware potters who eventually made their mark in southern states began their careers in northern locales. Such was the case for the Webster family, whose founding family members were born in Connecticut but in the early nineteenth century made their way to North Carolina, first to Fayetteville and then to Randolph County. In North Carolina the work of the Webster family was exuberant and had a strong decorative appeal, particularly the incised designs that are often attributed to Chester Webster. This salt-glazed stoneware flask with an elaborate incised design is a rare piece attributable to Chester Webster’s beginnings in Connecticut.
Scarborough, Quincy.” The Webster School of Folk Potters.” Fayetteville, NC: The Quincy Scarborough Companies, 2009.