This scarce and handsome vessel, by James H. Owen, stands 6" high by 5" across the body by 4" in diameter at its rim opening. It has a classic form, a full bodied and shapely vessel. The Owen family has a rich and celebrated history of throwing pots in Guilford County, NC. and beyond. This vase is glazed in an awesome cobalt oxide glaze, which is speckled, and loaded with character, very organic, with a lustrous quality to the glaze, which is finished in a glossy sheen. It is well-marked J.H. Owen, impressed on the base. It is in excellent condition, with a couple of very small glaze surface chips and glaze skips at or near the rim and base edges all shown in the photos, along with the usual glaze nuances common to hand-thrown pots. This is a nice early 1920s southern pot and it makes a wonderfully organic presentation, thrown by a very respected potter, whose sons carried their family legacy forward after his death in 1923. There is a wonderful pool of information online about the Owen family, some of which is included below for your interest.
James H. Owen (1866-1923)
James H., or "Jim," was one of the first potters the Busbees of Jugtown hired to turn ware. Jim turned vases and jars while other potters continued with strictly functional wares. His Jugtown pieces-only some of which are stamped-were the early transitional pieces sold by Juliana Busbee at her tearoom in New York. According to his son Melvin, Jim learned pottery from Paschal Marable of Randolph County, and upon returning to Moore County, he taught his father and brother the lucrative craft. They did open a shop together in 1910. Jim Owen experimented with adding decorative features to familiar jugs and churns, and developed a "floor vase" form. He passed away in 1923 just as the Busbees opened Jugtown, the Seagrove pottery shop that became famous for its unique glazes and graceful, "oriental translation" pottery.

Martha Jane Scott Owen (1875-1953)
Martha Jane was married to James H. Owen. Her family sold Jacques and Juliana Busbee the land that became Jugtown. Martha Jane, along with other local women and children, molded chicken-shaped salt and pepper shakers for sale at Jugtown. At ten cents a chicken, her contribution to the family business was considerable. Martha Jane and James H. Owen had eight children. Martha Jane continued to make pottery for the Busbees after her husband's death in 1923. The chickens she created so long ago were the beginnings of a popular pottery genre of sculpted farm animals that thrives to this day.
Jonah Owen (1895-1966)
Along with his brother Walter, "Jonie" Owen began turning for his father at J. H. Owen Pottery before the 1920s. Jonie and his brother Walter turned wares for North State Pottery, owned by Henry Cooper and his wife, Rebecca. Jonah Owen also worked for Log Cabin Pottery in Guilford County. He opened his own Steeds Pottery shop with his wife, Myrtis (1908-1993), who designed his pottery stamp.

Walter Owen (1904-1981)
Walter's early pottery career closely paralleled his brother Jonie's. He learned the pottery trade at his father's (J.H. Owen) pottery shop, and joined Jonie at North State Pottery in 1925. Walter (W.N. Owen) remained with the Coopers at North State Pottery as their principal potter until their deaths. He inherited the shop and changed its name to Pine State Pottery. Walter remained at his wheel until 1977.

Elvin Owen (1919-1994)
James H. Owen's youngest son Elvin was only four when his father died. It seems his brothers and uncles saw to his training in the family business, and he worked with Walter at North State Pottery from 1935-1936. He then turned and burned alongside Melvin at the pottery shop business M.L. revived on the site of their father's pottery. At 29, Elvin pursued other business opportunities in Florida and sometime later moved to the Winston-Salem area to make garden supplies from concrete and to operate his own pottery.

Melvin Lee Owens (1917-2003)
Of all of James H. Owen's sons, it can be said that Melvin most directly continued his father's legacy of pottery production. Growing up in the shadow of Jugtown, M.L. studied the art and craft of both large scale production pottery and artfully designed forms that appealed to discerning consumers of contemporary arts. Shortly after his marriage to Pearl Marie Garner in 1938, Melvin reopened his father's shop, and added a final "s" to the Owen name. For decades, M.L. filled large-scale wholesale orders, firing his kilns as many as three times a week. Such production with its necessary fast pace and demand for consistent quality provided a rigorous training environment for Melvin and Marie's eight children, most of whom continue to work in pottery to this day. M.L. also developed distinctive forms of his own, including slender tea pots and hilarious face jugs. Marie glazed pots, worked in the sales room and made occasional animals. Melvin received the North Carolina Heritage Award in 2000. His son, Boyd now operates the pottery that James. H. Owen began, with help from M.L.'s daughter, Nancy Owens Brewer.
Source: Sally Peterson, Folklife Program, N.C. Arts Council.