Important and extremely early Tennessee Nonconnah art pottery cameo vase, molded ovoid form with flat, slip painted cotton blossoms and leaves on matte green ground. Clear to white crackle glazed interior. Signed with Nellie Stephens' initials (NS) on front and "Stephen and Son / Capleville Ten" on base. 6 3/4" H. Illustrated and discussed, p. 18-19, "Pisgah Forest and Nonconnah: The Potteries of Walter B. Stephen" by Rodney Henderson Leftwich. In the book, Leftwich notes this vase may be the first vase the mother and son team of Nellie and Walter Stephen sold and may actually pre-date their naming of the pottery; he also describes the difficulties Walter faced in firing the pieces early on and the encouragement of his mother that led to the eventual production of their first saleable wares. Nonconnah is an Indian term translating as 'Long Stream'. The Nonconnah Pottery was started in 1901 in Memphis, Tennessee and operated by Walter and Nellie Randall Stephen. They produced molded or wheel thrown pieces there until 1910, then relocated to Skyline, North Carolina. The company produced pottery in N.C. from 1913 to 1916, when Walter left to go into the construction business. He continued to experiment with pottery, however, and founded the Pisgah Forest Pottery in 1926. Provenance: Private West Tennessee Collection.