Rare and Very Fine H.C. SMITH / ALEXA / D.C. Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar w/ Profuse Decoration, c1835

Summer 2026 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 83

Price Realized: $2,160.00

($1,800 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.

AMERICA 250 Auction Catalog

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Rare and Very Fine Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Profuse Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "H.C. SMITH / ALEXA / D.C.," circa 1835, ovoid jar with tooled shoulder, semi-rounded rim, and arching tab handles, cobalt-decorated on the front with a top-to-bottom flowering plant bearing numerous leaves and six fan-shaped flower blossoms. A smaller blossom is brushed between two swags at the center. The fan-shaped floral motif found on this jar is very rare in Smith stoneware, and may be the decorator's response to similar designs produced at the potteries of Henry Myers and the Perine family in Baltimore. The reverse is decorated with three tulip plants, which are also highly unusual for Smith stoneware. This jar is one of the most boldly-decorated examples of H.C. Smith stoneware we have seen. An exceptional example. Provenance: Crocker Farm, Inc., July 17, 2010, lot 212. An unobtrusive 5/8" x 1/8" filled hole on exterior reverse, which leads to a much larger filled area on the inside. Otherwise mint condition. H 11 3/4".