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M & T Miller, Newport, PA Stoneware Bird House

WORLD AUCTION RECORD: M & T MILLER STONEWARE

November 4, 2006 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 24

Price Realized: $71,500.00

($65,000 hammer, plus 10% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 14 years old, and the American ceramics market frequently changes. Additionally, small nuances of color, condition, shape, etc. can mean huge differences in price. Please Contact Us for a Current, Accurate assessment of your items.

Auction Highlight: Greatest Hits | November 4, 2006 Auction | Central PA Stoneware | Incised Stoneware

November 4, 2006 Auction Catalog

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Important and Possibly Unique Stoneware Birdhouse with Incised Decoration, Signed "M + T MiLLER / NEW PORT / PERRY Co / PENN," attributed to Michael and Theophilus Miller, Jr., circa 1870, dome-shaped birdhouse with large pointed finial, arch-shaped opening with small ledge for birds to land on, and a hole below opening to hold a twig. Birdhouse is decorated on the front with a detailed incised design of a man"s bust within a wreath, highlighted in cobalt. To the left and right are incised decorations of a bird perched on a flowering branch, also highlighted in cobalt. (These incised designs are modeled after known brushed cobalt motifs found on Miller products. See Lasansky"s Made of Mud p. 39 for a brushed rendering of the same mustached male bust.) Reverse with the incised and cobalt-highlighted inscription "M + T MiLLER / NEW PORT / PERRY Co / PENN". Includes a removeable wood and metal make-do designed to accommodate smaller birds. A bird"s nest can still be found inside. The birdhouse is an extremely rare form in American stoneware. This is the only birdhouse of this quality that we are aware of. The exuberant incised decorations and signature of the famed Miller pottery make this a truly exceptional example of American stoneware. Easily one of the finest examples of Central Pennsylvania stoneware known. Lines in surface from use or possibly in the making. Small chip on finial. Height 9".