Important Pint-Sized Stoneware Jar att. R.J. Grier, Chester County, PA, with Self-Portrait

July 20, 2019 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 163

Price Realized: $5,605.00

($4,750 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.

Auction Highlight: July 20, 2019 Auction

July 20, 2019 Auction Catalog

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Extremely Rare and Important Pint-Sized Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Decoration of a Man's Portrait, attributed to Ralph J. Grier, Mt. Jordan Pottery, Chester County, PA, circa 1875, small-sized, cylindrical jar with tooled shoulder and semi-squared rim, decorated with a brushed design of a man's face with bushy, droopy mustache and brimmed hat. Shoulder decorated with four groups of cobalt swags. Featuring the distinctive color and swag decoration of Grier's work, the face decoration on this jar is believed to be the potter's own self-portrait. Exceptional size and extremely rare figural decoration. Literature: Similarities can be drawn between the face on this jar and that shown in a photograph of an aging R.J. Grier with hat, thick mustache, and beard, playing a violin beside his dog, which is illustrated on p. 78 of Arthur E. James, The Potters and Potteries of Chester County, Pennsylvania, Exton: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1978. Three rim chips. H 5 5/8".