ATTRIBUTED TO JONATHAN FENTON (B. 1766), BOSTON, 1793-1796

A rare example bearing the maker's initials in a medallion, this jar was made by Boston's first stoneware pottery, founded in 1793 by Jonathan Fenton (b. 1766) and Frederick Carpenter (1771-1827). The enterprise only ran for three years, after which Jonathan Fenton relocated to New Hampshire and subsequently Vermont. For more on Fenton, see Lura Woodside Watkins, "New Light on Boston Stoneware and Frederick Carpenter," The Magazine Antiques (June 1972), pp. 1052-1055.