Face Vessel 19th century Unidentified Edgefield District potter This figural face jug, possibly made at the Miles Mills pottery site operated and owned by Lewis J. Miles (1808-1868), is an excellent example of the enigmatic face vessel, a form produced in the mid-19th century at numerous potteries throughout Edgefield District, South Carolina, often by unidentified enslaved African American makers. To date, there are approximately 160 extant mid-19th century Edgefield face vessels known in private and public collections. Close observation of these objects suggests that they were made a various sites in and around Edgefield District, and by different hands. There are roughly a dozen distinct groups, each one bearing similar characteristics or related by technique/construction or materials. This example is distinctive in a number of ways: its rounded vessel shape; well-constructed, symmetrical features including its arched, connecting eyebrows; and the application of white paint on the e