Important and Probably Unique Stoneware Inkwell with Cobalt-Decorated Border, Incised Twice "CC", Dated 1815, and Signed on Underside "Jn C Crolius", Manhattan, NY, 1815, slab-constructed form with five quills and delicately-formed recessed ink reservoir, composed of an inwardly-tapering square, incised on one side with the initials and date, "CC / 1815" and on the opposite side with the incised initials, "CC". Inkwell includes incised borders to edges, as well as surrounding the squared ink reservoir and the adjacent quill hole. Cobalt highlights run vertically along the corners of the inkwell, surround the object's top edge, and border the squared edge of the ink reservoir. Underside incised with the maker's name, "Jn. C. Crolius", referring to John Clarkson Crolius (1796-1823), son of the important Manhattan potter and public figure, Clarkson Crolius, Sr.. Perhaps due to his premature death at the relatively young age of 27, little has been written about John Clarkson Crolius (1796-1823), but as Clarkson Crolius's oldest son, he grew up working in what is perhaps the most well-known American stoneware shop. After reaching adulthood, his name begins to appear in New York city directories as a potter, mainly living on Bayard Street, the location of Clarkson Crolius's second stoneware manufactory, launched earlier in the decade. John C. Crolius was born about the time Clarkson was beginning to take the reins of his father, John's, old pottery that had been established circa 1720, just north of modern-day City Hall Park--during a time period when famous potters like Thomas Commeraw and David Morgan were likewise working around "Potter's Hill," in a network of shops that also included that of John and Henry Remmey, and Clarkson's brother, John, Jr. To our knowledge, only two hand-signed Crolius family inkwells are known to exist: this example and the iconic heart-shaped inkstand, signed "New York, July 12th 1773, William Crolius", which is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, NY. This example's status as a treasured family item constructed by a son for his father--perhaps the most famous American stoneware potter of all--makes it an exceedingly important example of early American ceramics. Excellent condition with light wear to some edges and a tiny nick to one corner. L 2 7/8" ; W 2 1/8" ; H 1 3/4".
