Exceptional C. BOYNTON / TROY, NY Double-Handled Water Cooler w/ Incised Bird

March 23, 2019 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 53

Price Realized: $2,832.00

($2,400 hammer, plus 18% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 5 years old, and the American ceramics market frequently changes. Additionally, small nuances of color, condition, shape, etc. can mean huge differences in price. If you're interested in having us sell a similar item for you, please contact us here.

March 23, 2019 Auction Catalog

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Exceedingly Rare and Important Three-Gallon Double-Handled Stoneware Cooler with Incised Bird Decoration, Stamped "C. BOYNTON & CO. / TROY", NY State origin, circa 1825-29, highly-ovoid jug-form cooler with semi-rounded spout, two ribbed handles at the shoulder, and circular bunghole, decorated across the front with a large incised design of a bird holding a pair of leaves in its beak, perched on a sprig. Bird includes heavily-incised breast and tail feathers, a cobalt-highlighted wing, brushed cobalt dashes to the breast area, and a cobalt border delineating the breast and tail. The leaves in the bird's beak and sprig below are brushed over with heavy cobalt slip highlights. Additional cobalt highlights appear at the handle terminals and surround the mouth of the bunghole. While many incised coolers of this style featuring the design incised in smaller proportions at the shoulder, leaving a great deal of negative space, the decoration on this piece is noteworthy in its size, covering much of the cooler's front and measuring approximately 6 3/4" x 9" along the curve of the vessel. Impressive in its artistic form, bold decoration, and desirable maker, this cooler is among the best examples that we have ever offered by the influential Albany-trained potter, Calvin Boynton. Excellent condition with some in-the-firing pings to surface. H 15 1/2".