Exceptional Tin-and-Cobalt-Decorated Redware Figure of a Rooster, attributed to John Bell, Waynesboro, PA, circa 1840-1860, molded figure of standing rooster on pedestal base with elaborate hand-incised details throughout, the base with diagonal scored foot. The figure is dipped in a whitish tin slip, decorated with cobalt sponging, and covered in a clear lead glaze. This lot is the finest and most famous of the small group of surviving rooster figures produced by John Bell. Its colorful glaze treatment is commonly associated with rare, early-period examples of Bell's hollowware. Believed to be unique, no other Bell figural pieces are known with this glaze. In the case of this work, the translucent tin coating over the object's red clay body produces an appealing pinkish hue. Having sold in the famous Heilman sale at Sotheby's in 1982, this figure was chosen as a cover piece for Dr. George and Connie Manger's 2003 book, Pottery from the Shenandoah and Cumberland Valleys. Literature: Illustrated in Comstock, The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region, p. 157, fig. 4.129; Illustrated in Manger, Pottery from the Shenandoah and Cumberland Valleys, cover and p. 38. Provenance: Sotheby's, American Folk Art, Furniture and Related Decorative Arts: The Collection of the Late Pauline Heilman, York, Pennsylvania, York Inter-State Fair Grounds, July 16 and 17, 1982, lot 519; Dr. George and Connie Manger Collection. Old restoration to beak. A small restored base chip on reverse. Minor base chipping. H 5".
