Very Rare ATHERON & TRICE / ALBANY, NY Stoneware Churn, c1820-26

Summer 2025 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 248

Price Realized: $270.00

($225 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 2025 Auction Catalog

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Very Rare Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Churn with Cobalt Foliate Decoration, Stamped "ATHERTON & TRICE. / ALBANY.," NY State origin, circa 1820-1826, ovoid churn with tooled shoulder, flared collar, and rounded lug handles, brush-decorated on the front and reverse with a stylized foliate design with looping center. Cobalt highlights to handle terminals. One of only three examples of marked Atherton & Trice stoneware that we have ever offered. The business involved grocer, Stephen Atherton, and potter, James Trice, on a Washington Street property opposite Paul Cushman's shop. The location was shared by the well-known potter brothers, Jonah and Calvin Boynton, indicating the two were likely involved in the production of Trice's ware. Corroborating this idea is the fact that the design on this churn can also be found on a number of marked Boynton pieces from Albany. Provenance: William Bouck Collection. A thin Y-shaped crack on underside, forming a very long inverted L-shaped crack on proper left side of churn. A small base chip. Exfoliation to base area. Chips to interior of rim. An in-the-firing crack to interior of rim, visible as a 2 1/2" hairline on exterior. Various in-the-firing flaws to surface. H 17 1/4".