Outstanding COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG, PA Stoneware Jug w/ Elaborate Bird and Floral Decoration

July 18, 2015 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 278

Price Realized: $14,950.00

($13,000 hammer, plus 15% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 4 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: July 18, 2015 Auction | Central PA Stoneware

July 18, 2015 Auction Catalog

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Outstanding and Very Rare Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Cobalt Bird and Floral Decorations, Stamped "COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG. PA", circa 1865, ovoid jug with heavily-tooled shoulder, semi-rounded spout, and applied handle, the front profusely-decorated with a songbird perched in the middle of a floral spray, surrounded by leaves, buds, striped brushwork, a spitting tulip, and daisy blossom. Bird with spotted detail to wing and stripes to tail. Cobalt highlights to maker's mark, capacity mark, and handle terminals. An exuberantly-decorated piece, which displays a variety of motifs employed at the Cowden & Wilcox firm. Certainly one of the finest bird decorations known from this highly-regarded Central Pennsylvania pottery. Examples of this quality rarely come to auction. Excellent, essentially as-made condition with a 1 1/2" line at base on reverse (possibly in-the-firing) and a small contact mark near base of decoration. H 15".