Devil Face Jug with Black Glaze and Red Horns, Signed Billy Joe Craven

Devil Face Jug with Black Glaze and Red Horns, Signed Billy Joe Craven
11 x 8 x 8 inches

In 1794, Peter Craven, a potter and ancestor of Billy Joe Craven, arrived in the Northeastern part of the United States. As immigrants migrated South in the 1800’s, the Craven family found the clay of North Georgia to be a source for making utilitarian pottery. The original focus was on functionality, any artistic appeal was a bonus to the Craven Pottery.

Individual characteristics of each piece of pottery enabled each person to identify their person water or whiskey jug.

Today the Craven family still pulls out of the local landscape.

Face jugs, a staple of popular folk craft, are some of the most iconic works in the history of American folk art. While nearly synonymous with Americana and American folk art traditions, their origins were co-opted from an amalgam of disparate cultural influences. The oldest most likely stems from the traditional African practice of creating expressive jugs to serve as headstones. Brought to America by the cruel act of slavery, the tradition found a prevalence in throughout the Southeast that thrives to this day. Similarly, International trade from China imported the highly sought after art of red ceramic glazes. One of the most recognizable and prized forms of face jugs are the vibrant Red Devils faces. In the south these embellished pots were used to buy & store liquor; the ominous features would scare children so they would not be tempted to try the contents. England too has a cultural form of figurative pottery know as Toby Jugs. Toby Jugs typically feature archetypal characters or famous men.