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Figure 2016.900.1
Bust of Abraham Lincoln
Figure 2016.900.1

Bust of Abraham Lincoln

Dateca. 1989
Maker Billy Ray Hussey (b. 1955)
OriginAmerica, North Carolina, Robbins
MediumLead-glazed earthenware
DimensionsOverall: 18 1/4 x 10 1/2in. (46.4 x 26.7cm)
Credit LineGift of Ellin and Baron Gordon in Honor of Mitchell and Elisabeth Reiss
Object number2016.900.1
DescriptionLead-glazed earthenware bust of Abraham Lincoln. The head of Lincoln rests on a tall pillar-like neck that serves as both a support and a decorative element with a tall collar, buttons and a bowtie. Incised hair, beard, eyebrows, eyelashes, and worry lines on the forehead. The eyes are composed of white clay with inserted brown clay pupils and pierced centers. The figure is decorated in varying shades of brown, black, and peach. The cloudy milky-like glaze is a wood ash recipe.
Label TextFigure of Abraham Lincoln
Billy Ray Hussey (b. 1955)
Robbins, North Carolina, ca. 1989
Earthenware
Height: 18 ¼”
Gift of Ellin and Baron Gordon in Honor of Mitchell and Elisabeth Reiss, 2016.900.1

Colonial Williamsburg’s Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum was recently given this figure of Abraham Lincoln by Billy Ray Hussey. Hussey embraces the vernacular pottery traditions of the Seagrove region of North Carolina. As a child he watched his great-uncle, M. L. Owens, and Vernon Owens as they produced wares for the Owens Pottery. Hussey continues to employ traditional approaches to pottery, working with local clay and burning the ware in a wood-fired kiln. Working in both earthenware and stoneware, he has experimented with lead, salt, and alkaline glazes. This particular piece is glazed with a wood ash recipe. While Hussey does make well-turned traditional utilitarian vessels, he is best known for his sculptures.

This bust of Abraham Lincoln was made as a special commission and later purchased by folk art collectors Ellin and Baron Gordon who donated it to Colonial Williamsburg. Williamsburg is interested in the continuation of folk potting techniques and in supporting the work of contemporary potters who embrace historical methods. Many of Hussey’s sculptures are small forms in the shape of animals, self-portraits, or political figures. At more than eighteen inches tall, this piece is one of the larger examples of his work. As with much of Billy Ray Hussey’s work, this figure embodies whimsy and humor while still being recognizable as Lincoln.


InscribedBH 12 (incised on the base, the 12 in an incised circle)
ProvenancePurchased by Baron and Ellin Gordon from a Southern Folk Pottery Collectors Society (SFPCS) auction in 2001.
Made for a private collector around 1989 as a special commission.