Exceptional Incised "N. A. White & Son / Utica, NY" Stoneware Jug w/ Bold Bird Decoration

Summer 2020 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 347

Price Realized: $840.00

($700 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.

Summer 2020 Auction Catalog

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Exceptional Four-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Cobalt Paddletail Bird Decoration, Incised "N.A. White & Son / Utica / N.Y.," circa 1885, cylindrical jug with tooled spout, decorated with a brushed and slip-trailed design of a crested bird with turned head and paddle-shaped tail, perched on a flowering vine. Hand-incised above in large letters with the signature of the pottery, "N.A. White & Son / Utica / N.Y." This jug is the first example of stoneware from this important New York State manufactory that we have seen bearing the signature executed in incised script by the potter. Coupled with the rarity of the signature is the strong visual appeal of the jug, with the pottery's iconic paddletail bird motif executed in bold cobalt against a light clay ground. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, purchased by the consignor decades ago. A 1" firing crack to lower handle terminal. A thinner in-the-firing surface crack to upper handle terminal. Neither of these cracks extend completely through the handle. Spout chips. A smooth in-the-firing contact mark to left side of jug. Two salt drips to left side of jug. A minor surface chip to right side of jug. A few minor spots of wear to cobalt, typical of this design. H 17 1/2".