A vintage ceramic cookie jar or canister whimsically modeled in the form of a ripe strawberry. Marked USA 263 on the bottom. The earthenware body is finished in a vibrant, high-gloss red glaze with deep molded recesses simulating strawberry seeds. The fitted lid is designed as the green calyx of the fruit, featuring a starburst of ten detailed leaves radiating from a central upright stem that serves as the handle.

Condition Report & Provenance

• Subject / Sitter / Source: Strawberry
• Material / Technique: Glazed earthenware
• Materials: ceramic, glaze
• Decorative Details: Ten-point green leaf calyx lid, relief-molded seed dimples
• Colour & Surface: High-gloss red and green glazes
• Time period: McCoy #263 Strawberry Cookie Jar was manufactured between 1971 and 1975.

History

Strawberry-shaped kitchenware and canisters became immensely popular during the mid-20th century, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. Produced by various American potteries, these cheerful, novelty tableware items reflected the era's embrace of playful, nature-inspired designs for the domestic kitchen.