Very Rare FOELL & ALT / EAST BIRMINGHAM, PA Stoneware Jar w/ Impressed Maker's Stamp

July 20, 2019 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 192

Price Realized: $649.00

($550 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.

July 20, 2019 Auction Catalog

◀︎ Back to Catalog

▶ Login

Very Rare Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "FOELL & ALT / BIRMINGHAM, PA", circa 1860, semi-ovoid jar with tooled shoulder, applied lug handles, and semi-rounded rim, decorated with an elaborate brushed design of three tulips emanating from a central stem. A looping, underscored "3" appears to the right of the design. Brushed cobalt highlights to handle terminals. Reverse impressed with the highly unusual maker's mark, "FOELL & ALT / BIRMINGHAM / PA", enclosed within a circle, surrounding a relief image of a pitcher. Foell & Alt's stoneware is typically found with stenciled maker's marks, and this jar is the first example that we have offered featuring an impressed maker's stamp. The incorporation of a pitcher into the stamp creates a signature that is among the most decorative that we have seen in American stoneware production. Very nice condition with a tight horizontal line at base and a minor, in-the-firing base chip, which is glazed over.