A cream riser milk jug from the Catawba Valley, rustic in the best sense.

A stoneware milk jug or cream riser from the Catawba Valley pottery tradition of North Carolina, in the rustic Hilton manner. Cream risers were working dairy vessels: milk sat in them until the cream rose to the top and could be skimmed, so the form is wide mouthed and built for daily handling.

This is folk pottery doing a job, which is why the surface is so good. Throwing rings run right up the wall, the glaze breaks over them, and the rim carries the marks of the potter finishing it. Catawba Valley work is among the most collected regional pottery in the country.

Attribution is to the Catawba Valley tradition, rustic Hilton in character, by form and glaze. No mark is claimed here, so please read the base in the photos.

How to use and style it

• Set it on a kitchen counter or hutch with a wooden spoon or two in it and call it done.
• Fill it with sunflowers or dried wheat. Wide mouthed dairy forms hold a loose armful of stems beautifully.
• Keep it out of the dishwasher and out of freezing temperatures, and dry the interior fully after any cleaning.

Details: Stoneware milk jug or cream riser · Catawba Valley pottery, North Carolina · rustic Hilton character · American folk pottery · attributed by form and glaze

Condition: Condition as per images, and the photos are part of the description. Please ask if you want a closer look at any area.

Measurements and marks: dimensions are listed above and any maker mark, signature or impressed number is photographed. Please measure against a shelf or a piece you already own before you buy.

Packing and shipping: we ship pottery constantly and we pack for it. Fragile pieces are wrapped, cushioned and very often double boxed, and any shipping overage is refunded. Combined shipping is available when it can be done safely.

Questions are genuinely welcome. Ask for extra photos, a closer look at the base, measurements, or a condition detail. We answer quickly and we would rather you buy the right piece than the first one.

Sold as is. Everything here is described and photographed from the piece in hand, and the photos are part of the description. Where a maker, pottery, date or glaze is not stated on the piece itself, our attribution is an informed opinion rather than a guarantee.