Exceptional Stoneware Jug by Dave, Inscribed "Lm / June 10 1853," Edgefield District, SC

Spring 2020 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 12

Price Realized: $78,000.00

($65,000 hammer, plus 20% 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. If you're interested in having us sell a similar item for you, please contact us here.

Auction Highlight:  Greatest Hits | Spring 2020 Auction | Southern Pottery | Edgefield Stoneware | David Drake Pottery

Spring 2020 Auction Catalog

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Exceptional Three-Gallon Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Jug, Incised "Lm / June 10-1853," Dave at Lewis Miles' Stoney Bluff Manufactory, Horse Creek Valley, Edgefield District, SC, 1853, ovoid jug with stepped spout and applied handle with depressed lower terminal, the surface covered in a streaky, olive-colored alkaline glaze, overlain with heavy bluish-white rutile runs. Shoulder incised with the initials of Lewis Miles, Dave's owner at the time, followed by a date: "Lm / June 10. 1853." An incised horseshoe symbol and three punctates (indicating three gallons) appear above. Among Dave's most brilliantly-glazed vessels known, this jug was decorated with rutile (titanium dioxide) to produce the striking runs on the shoulder, handle area, and inscribed side of the piece. While rutile-glazing was relatively common elsewhere in the American South, it is considered extremely rare in Dave's work, with only a few examples documented. As Dave's oeuvre consists almost entirely of pieces with sporadically-poured or neatly-dipped alkaline glazes, this jug can easily be regarded as one of the potter's masterworks in terms of the quality of its glaze. In addition, its form is considered significantly rarer than the jars produced by this potter. A related 1853 jug (with restored handle) resides in the collection of the American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY. Fine condition for this form. Professional restoration to a thin circumferential crack around spout, just above the raised molding at the spout's midsection. Base chips. (The majority of surviving Dave jugs succumbed to significant damage to or entire loss of the spout during use. Handle loss was also common.) H 14 3/4".




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