Exceedingly Rare R. C. REMMEY / PHILA. 30 Gal. Stoneware Vessel, Philadelphia, Patented 1869

Summer 2023 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 384

Price Realized: $960.00

($800 hammer, plus 20% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: The American ceramics market frequently changes, often dramatically. 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 2023 Auction Catalog

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Exceedingly Rare Thirty-Gallon Salt-Glazed Chemical Stoneware Vessel, Stamped "R.C. REMMEY / PHILA / JAN'Y 12TH 1869 / PATENTED," Incised "30," Richard C. Remmey, Philadelphia, PA, circa 1870, massive, ovoid form the top fashioned with two wide, wheel-thrown and applied cylindrical spouts flanking a narrower spout, the midsection with deeply grooved, applied pocket handles. Incised at shoulder with the number, "30," for thirty gallons along with an elaborate impressed maker's mark and patent date for the form by renowned Philadelphia potter, Richard Clinton Remmey. Surface covered in a clear salt glaze. This sculptural work is one of the two largest known examples of Remmey family stoneware from America, the other being a similar example in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. The production of this work was a major undertaking, requiring two to three individually-thrown and connected sections to produce the body of the vessel, three individually-thrown and applied spouts, hollowing to the juncture of the spouts with the vessel, and modeling and application of its substantial handles. The completed product is a work of exemplary craftsmanship and refined, thin-walled potting, contradicting the piece's highly-utilitarian nature. Used for producing chemicals, related salt-glazed examples of this form are known from the Mid-Atlantic and later examples from Ohio. A thin 7" Y-shaped crack at base. One spout with a small chip and shallow 1 1/2" flake. Another spout with a small chip. H 24 7/8".

Special Note: Due to this object's large size, we are unable to ship it using our normal in-house shipping service. It must either be picked up by the high bidder, or special arrangements must be made by the high bidder for pick up and / or shipping by a third party. If you have any questions, please contact us; we are certainly able to recommend options for third party shippers ahead of time that you can contact for a quote.