One-Gallon J. SWANK & CO. / JOHNSTOWN, PA Stoneware Jar

Summer 2022 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 292

Price Realized: $840.00

($700 hammer, plus 20% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 2 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 2022 Auction Catalog

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One-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Foliate Decoration, Stamped "J. SWANK & CO. / JOHNSTOWN. PA," circa 1860, ovoid jar with tooled shoulder and flared collar, decorated around the body with six brushed leaves. Shoulder impressed with scarce, large-font Swank maker's mark. This jar was made early in the family's foray into stoneware production by brothers, Jacob and Hiram Swank, at a pottery previously owned by the firm Hamilton and Pershing, purchased in 1856 by Josiah Swank (Schaltenbrand, Big Ware Turners, p. 100). This work predates pieces made at the Swanks' more-prolific Kernville site, featuring a different clay body, different maker's mark, and decoration in the Hamilton & Pershing style. Provenance: Estate of author and historian, Nancy Shedd, Petersburg, PA. A 1 1/8" rim chip. A few in-the-firing contact marks to surface, one of which is recessed on the front. Two minor adjacent chips on interior of rim. Inner rim for lid with a small chip and minor nick. H 10 1/2".