Rare 4 Color Whites Utica Six Gallon Water Cooler

Circa 1890s: This stunning Whites Utica New York 6 gallon water cooler stands just over 16" tall and is 12" in diameter. Whites Utica pieces in the rare four color (white, blue, green, and brown) glaze treatment are scarce and desirable, and we have not encountered another example of this molded cooler with its two highly detailed and profusely decorated scenes. The scene on the front shows a woman carrying a vessel to a table where two men sit at a table. The room itself has several elements represented: a blue and white diamond tiled floor, a door, a window, a full plate rack, a shelf with an object on it, a table with a stoneware pitcher on top of it and a plant next to it, and a fireplace. Even the bung hole is decorated with blue dots surrounded by green leaves. The scene on the cooler's reverse side is done in the art nouveau style of the period with a woman's bust encircled by leaves and vines. The condition of this remarkable water cooler is completely as made with a 1" in the making firing firing separation at rim as photographed and no human made chips, cracks, or repairs. This museum quality piece of late 19th century Whites Utica stoneware would rank among the highlights of any collection. Provenance: Art Dell Collection