Highly Important Large-Sized Stoneware Water Cooler with Profuse Incised Tree and Cow Scene, Stamped "NICHOLS & BOYNTON / BURLINGTON, VT," circa 1854-1855, cylindrical jug with semi-rounded, tooled spout, decorated with a large, incised, and cobalt-accented design of a willow tree ascending from the bunghole, the ground below featuring a feeding cow, smaller tree, and a flowering plant. Cobalt highlight to maker's mark. Displaying one of the most extravagant incised decorations known in 19th century American stoneware, this cooler ranks among the greatest surviving ceramic works from the state of Vermont. Sophisticated in its execution, the tree includes numerous overlapping branches that required forethought and delicate attention during the decorative process. The extravagant top-to-bottom tree, measuring an astounding 21 1/4" tall by 21 1/2" wide, assumes a life of its own, dominating the front and extending onto the sides of the vessel. Impressed rectangular treatment forms bark on the tree's surface and a feeding cow decorates the ground below. Easily the finest example known from this short-lived partnership, pieces of this extreme size and decorative quality were used as storefront display pieces advertising the pottery's work or used in local hotels for patrons to admire while pouring a drink. This monumental creation, measuring roughly ten gallons in capacity, was recognized very early as a work of art--at a time when stoneware was often overlooked--acquired by pioneering American decorative arts collector, Francis P. Garvan, sometime prior to 1930. In that year, he donated the majority of his important collection, including outstanding examples of American silver and period furniture, to his alma mater, Yale University, in honor of his wife, Mabel Brady Garvan. Why this cooler never arrived at Yale, or whether or not it was perhaps deaccessioned by the university, is unknown to us. Surfacing in 1987 to sell at Denlinger Auction in Bennington, Vermont, the crock achieved the remarkable price of $19,800, eclipsing the famous Geddes, NY cat crock offered in the same sale.
Today, stoneware objects of this extraordinary quality are rarely found in private hands. Provenance: Francis P. Garvan Collection; Denlinger Auctions, Bennington, VT, Fall 1987, lot 75, illustrated on interior cover and back cover of catalog; Denlinger Auctions, Bennington, VT (second offering); Cathy Treffeisen Collection. Excellent condition with a 1 1/8", in-the-firing iron ping to handle and some staining. What appears to be vertical crack at base on reverse, is actually a glazed-over, in-the-making scratch. H 23 1/2".
