Jar
MAKER: Jar attributed to the Craven-Fesmire pottery in Henderson County, Tennessee, 1845-1860. Born to one of North Carolina’s most prolific potting families, Thomas Craven (1775-1857) migrated first to Georgia and, by 1840, to Henderson County, Tennessee, where he joined his sons in the establishment of a new kiln. The “piecrust” joint that seals the two thrown components is a distinguishing characteristic of their larger wares. At least three signed and dated examples are known with dates of 1846, 1847, and 1855. By the end of the nineteenth century, Thomas Craven’s descendants had become potters in Arkansas and Texas.
Smith, Samuel D. and Stephen T. Rogers. Tennessee Potteries, Pots, and Potters – 1790s to 1950. Nashville: Tennessee Department oof Environment and Conservation, 2011.