Fall 2021 Auction Featured Photos

Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed Important David Drake June 28, 1854 Stoneware Jug Inscribed

An Iconic Work by David Drake. Highly Important Three-Gallon Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Jug, Incised "Lm says this handle will crack," Signed and Dated "Dave / June 28. 1854," David Drake at Lewis Miles' Stony Bluff Manufactory, Edgefield District, SC, 1854.

This famous jug, memorably appraised on a 2000 episode of the PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, features one of Drake's most intriguing inscriptions, one which offers insight into the relationship between the potter and his enslaver, Lewis Miles. As viewers of this work, we are given a rare glimpse into the interaction between Drake and Miles on the day the object was made.

Dr. Arthur Goldberg and James Witkowski describe this fascinating work thusly in their seminal Ceramics in America 2006 article, "Beneath his Magic Touch: The Dated Vessels of the African-American Slave Potter Dave": "Lewis Miles’s personal involvement in the stoneware production, as well as Dave’s dry wit and his ability to tease his owner, is revealed in the inscription on the jug signed by Dave on June 28, 1854: 'Lm says this handle will crack.'"

Few of Dave's inscriptions reveal the potter's personality and add to the mystique of this artisan as these words do. In his large, deeply-scrawled script, Drake boldly defies the opinion of his master in words that are literally set in stone for all to see. As such, this inscription is regarded as one of Dave's most powerful, subversive, and enigmatic incised quotations--one which also, almost paradoxically, imbues the work with a strong sense of humor. Adding further significance and humor to the story is the fact that the handle, to this day, has not broken or even cracked, proving Miles wrong and vindicating the craftsmanship of Drake. H 13 1/4".

Literature: Discussed in Goldberg and Witkowski, "Beneath his Magic Touch: The Dated Vessels of the African-American Slave Potter Dave," Ceramics in America 2006, p. 64; Discussed in Todd, Leonard. Carolina Clay: The Life and Legend of the Slave Potter Dave. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2008, p. 121; Discussed in Finkel, Jori. "The Enslaved Artist Whose Pottery Was An Act of Resistance," The New York Times, June 17, 2021; Discussed in Chaney, Michael A. Picturing Slavery: Hybridity, Illustration, and Spectacle in Antebellum Slave Narrative. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005, p. 230; Discussed in Chaney, Michael A. Fugitive Vision: Slave Image and Black Identity in Antebellum Narrative. Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 2008. p. 177; Discussed in Chaney, Michael A. "The Concatenate Poetics of Slavery and the Articulate Material of Dave the Potter." African American Review 44, No. 4 (Winter 2011); Discussed in Chaney, Michael A. (ed.) Where Is All My Relation? The Poetics of Dave the Potter. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018, p. 120; Discussed in Chaney, Michael A. "Words, Wares, Names: Dave the Potter as American Archive," Anglia 138, No. 3 (2020); Discussed in Hager, Christopher. Word by Word: Emancipation and the Act of Writing, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 2013, p. 71; Discussed in Clare, Claudia. Subversive Ceramics, London, Bloomsbury Press, 2016, p. 56.

Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.Important Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Incised Ship Decoration, probably Crolius Family, Manhattan, NY, 18th century.

American Ceramic Masterwork. Exceedingly Rare and Important Stoneware Jug with Profuse Incised Decoration of a Sailing Ship with American Flag, Manhattan, NY origin, probably Crolius Family, 1791-1792. This recently-surfaced masterwork from the Manhattan potting tradition features possibly the finest rendering of a sailing ship seen in American stoneware. Festooned with twenty sails and replete with incised and impressed circular details throughout, this design also depicts one of the earliest images of an American flag on an American-made ceramic object. The fourteen stars on the large flag at the ship's stern date this jug circa 1791-1792, after the admission of Vermont into the Union. Its crafstmanship and subject matter serve as a document in clay for the burgeoning reliance on quality, domestically-produced goods in a young America, then only fifteen or sixteen years old. Coupling high artistic appeal with exceptionally early American history, this work is regarded among the most important examples of 18th century pottery produced in this country. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, which recently surfaced in the Southern United States. H 14".

Extremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake JugExtremely Rare and Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Snake Jug

Anna Artistry. Outstanding Salt-Glazed Stoneware Temperance Jug with Applied Figural Decoration and Incised Image of Anna Pottery, Wallace and Cornwall Kirkpatrick, Anna, IL, circa 1880. This work displays the Kirkpatricks' mastery of modeling and motion, conveyed through the sinuous snake devouring a man headfirst on the vessel's front. A sense of vitality and urgency is further communicated through the smaller snakes below, edging closer to the tortured man. In classic Kirkpatrick style, other figures decorate the vessel, including two rear ends of men "going in" to the jug, a rear end of a rat entering the jug, a dung beetle, and a molded image of a nude siren with lyre, evocative of the seduction of alcohol. Among the most important aspects of this work is its fine incised rendering of Anna Pottery on the side of the jug, featuring numerous windows, a covered porch, two kiln chimneys at one end, and a house chimney at the opposite end. Inscribed across the front of the building are the words, "STONEWARE" and "ANNA POTTERY." One of the finest examples of Kirkpatrick Brothers stoneware that we have ever offered, one which seamlessly melds the utilitarian stoneware tradition with the rising American Art Pottery Movement of the late 19th century. Literature: Illustrated and discussed in Mohr, Richard. Pottery, Politics, Art: George Ohr and the Brothers Kirkpatrick. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2003. H 10 1/2".

Exceptional 4 Gal. J. & E. NORTON / BENNINGTON, VT Stoneware Jug with Outstanding Standing Deer DecorationExceptional 4 Gal. J. & E. NORTON / BENNINGTON, VT Stoneware Jug with Outstanding Standing Deer DecorationExceptional 4 Gal. J. & E. NORTON / BENNINGTON, VT Stoneware Jug with Outstanding Standing Deer Decoration

Striking Stag. Exceptional Four-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Cobalt Standing Deer Scene, Stamped "J. & E. NORTON / BENNINGTON, VT," circa 1855. The finest Norton standing deer jug that we have seen, this work features an unusually large size to both the vessel and design. The deer alone stands an impressive 10 1/2" tall, exhibits crisp slip-trailing, and includes classic stump, fence, and groundcover embellishments surrounding the animal. H 17".

Extremely Rare and Important Shenandoah Valley Stoneware Poem Jar by D. L. Eberly.Extremely Rare and Important Shenandoah Valley Stoneware Poem Jar by D. L. Eberly.Extremely Rare and Important Shenandoah Valley Stoneware Poem Jar by D. L. Eberly.Extremely Rare and Important Shenandoah Valley Stoneware Poem Jar by D. L. Eberly.Extremely Rare and Important Shenandoah Valley Stoneware Poem Jar by D. L. Eberly.

Southern Poem Jar. Exceedingly Rare and Important Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Freehand Cobalt Poem, Signed "D.L.E." and Stamped " FROM / J. EBERLY & BRO. / STRASBURG, VA.," Daniel Letcher Eberly at the J. Eberly & Bro. Pottery, Strasburg, VA, circa 1877-1885. The poem reads,

2. Y's. U. B
2. Y's U. See
2. Y's U Think
U.R. For Me.
D.L.E.

Regarded as the Eberly pottery's masterpiece in stoneware, this wonderful jar displays D.L. Eberly's proficiency as an artist in clay and the written word. Using letters to represent words in a rebus-like manner, the poem, taken from related rhymes of the period, is romantic and playful. The repeated use of the number "2" to denote the word "too" may be a pun on the fact that the jar measures two gallons. The word, "Strasburg," written vertically down the body of the jar and flanked by regionally-styled brushwork, proudly states where the piece was made. Examples of stoneware featuring poetry written in rhyming verse are extremely rare. Eberly's charm and flair for writing are evidenced by a surviving diary and numerous love letters to his future wife, Estelle Golladay. Provenance: Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates Auctions, The Collection of the Late John and Lil Palmer, April 5, 2014, lot 29; Ex-Collection Bill and Leah Pollard, Aldie, VA; Green Valley Auctions, March 5-6- 1993; Ex-Collection Tom and Liz Thorpe, Catlett, VA. H 11 3/4".

Rare and Fine Stoneware Jug with Large Incised Bird Decoration, Manhattan, NY origin, probably Crolius Family, late 18th or early 19th century. Rare and Fine Stoneware Jug with Large Incised Bird Decoration, Manhattan, NY origin, probably Crolius Family, late 18th or early 19th century. Rare and Fine Stoneware Jug with Large Incised Bird Decoration, Manhattan, NY origin, probably Crolius Family, late 18th or early 19th century. Rare and Fine Stoneware Jug with Large Incised Bird Decoration, Manhattan, NY origin, probably Crolius Family, late 18th or early 19th century. Rare and Fine Stoneware Jug with Large Incised Bird Decoration, Manhattan, NY origin, probably Crolius Family, late 18th or early 19th century.

Rare and Fine Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Large Incised Bird Decoration, Manhattan, NY origin, probably Crolius Family, late 18th or early 19th century. H 15 3/4".

Outstanding Stoneware Pitcher with Man s Bust Inscribed Outstanding Stoneware Pitcher with Man s Bust Inscribed Outstanding Stoneware Pitcher with Man s Bust Inscribed Outstanding Stoneware Pitcher with Man s Bust Inscribed Outstanding Stoneware Pitcher with Man s Bust Inscribed

Decoration and Form. Outstanding Stoneware Pitcher with Freehand Cobalt Decoration of a Hatted Man Raising a Glass, Inscribed "all time happy!," attributed to William Macquoid, Manhattan, NY, circa 1870. Featuring large, crisp decoration and whimsical inscription, this work is one of only a few figural-decorated pitchers known from this pottery. H 11".

Exceptional Five-Gallon Stoneware Cake Crock with Cobalt Standing Dog Decoration, Stamped

Exceptional Five-Gallon Stoneware Cake Crock with Cobalt Standing Dog Decoration, Stamped "WEST TROY, NY / POTTERY," New York State origin, circa 1875. Relatively few figural-decorated cake crocks are known in American stoneware, this example potted in an extraordinary size. H 10" ; Diam. (across top) 14".

Very Rare Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Bird Decoration, Stamped Very Rare Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Bird Decoration, Stamped Very Rare Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Bird Decoration, Stamped Very Rare Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Bird Decoration, Stamped Very Rare Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Bird Decoration, Stamped

Very Rare Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Bird Decoration, Stamped "PAUL : CUSHMANS," Albany, NY, circa 1810. H 16".

Exceptional Half-Gallon Stoneware Presentation Pitcher with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration, Incised Exceptional Half-Gallon Stoneware Presentation Pitcher with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration, Incised Exceptional Half-Gallon Stoneware Presentation Pitcher with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration, Incised Exceptional Half-Gallon Stoneware Presentation Pitcher with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration, Incised

Exceptional Half-Gallon Stoneware Presentation Pitcher with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration, Incised "John N. Carley / 1894," attributed to Richard C. Remmey, Philadelphia, PA, 1894. H 9".

Important Important Important Important Important Important Important

Southern Presentation Jar. Exceedingly Rare One-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration, Inscribed "Smith / Airville," Baltimore, MD origin, circa 1825-1830. One of a small number of surviving jars made for merchant and delegate to the Virginia Legislature, Thomas Smith, for use on his Airville Plantation, located in Gloucester County, Virginia. H 10 1/4".

The Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware JugThe Finest Known Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, NY Stoneware Jug

African-American Ceramic Masterwork. Exceptional Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Impressed Drape-and-Tassel Motif, Stamped "COMMERAWS STONEWARE N. YORK CORLEARS HOOK," Thomas Commeraw, Manhattan, NY, late 18th / early 19th century. Featuring exemplary color, highly unusual placement of the maker's mark, and extravagant use of Commeraw's classic impressed designs, this jug is regarded as the greatest surviving example of the potter's work. Thomas Commeraw was the first African-American pottery owner and one of the nation's earliest documented artisans of African descent to operate his own business and sign his ware. An abolitionist and civil rights activist in federal-era New York City, in 1820 Commeraw traveled to the west coast of Africa to help plant a repository for Africans rescued off of slave ships. This jug's outstanding color and wonderful stamping suggest it may have served to distinguish the potter as a leading producer of stoneware in Manhattan, possibly displayed as a storefront piece. The artistry of this work rank it among the most important examples of African-American utilitarian art known. H 15".

Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important Extremely Rare and Important

Western Pennsylvania Folk Sculpture. Exceedingly Rare and Important Glazed Redware Inkstand with Dog Finial, Signed "Made by / John Grady / 1866," Shanksville, Somerset County, PA, 1866. This delicate work exhibits a high level of craftsmanship in its pierced-work body, relief jagged carving, ropetwist handles, paw feet, and coleslaw-furred dog. It retains its original removeable well and sander, a rarity for this form. Few examples of Western Pennsylvania redware of this quality are known, pieces by members of the Grady and Swank families representing the most artistic produced in the entire region. A related inkstand by John's father, Henry, was sold in Crocker Farm's Kelly Young Sale, January 30, 2010, lot 130. Provenance: Collection of Lewis Fenley "Dusty" Parker. L 5 3/8" ; W 3 3/4" ; H 4 3/4".

Extremely Rare Extremely Rare Extremely Rare Extremely Rare Extremely Rare Extremely Rare Extremely Rare

Exceptional Form. Exceedingly Rare Glazed Redware Razorback Hog Flask, Incised "the oil of gladness / suck me and be happy," Signed "W.H. Rager," William Henry Rager, Palatine, WV or possibly Greensboro, PA origin, circa 1875-1885. Made by Rager at his Palatine stoneware manufactory, or possibly earlier during his tenure in Greensboro, this outstanding work is the only redware pig flask from the Western PA / West VA potting tradition that we are aware of. Its humorous inscription includes the term, "oil of gladness," used to describe God's anointing in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Provenance: Collection of Lewis Fenley "Dusty" Parker. L 7 1/4".

Extremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin BankExtremely Rare Signed Jacob Neifer, Montgomery County, PA Redware Cabin Bank

Rosetta Stone. Extremely Rare Redware Log Cabin Bank with Two-Color Slip Decoration, Signed "Jacob Neifer," Montgomery County, PA, circa 1860. This work is the only signed example that we have seen from a group of elaborate, hand-modeled redware banks produced at the same pottery in Pennsylvania during the second half of the 19th century. Several, including this cabin, sold in 1991 at the well-known Christie's auction of the Seamen's Bank for Savings' vast collection of mechanical and still banks. Known for their prodigious size and remarkable detail, banks by this potter, now documented as Jacob Neiffer (working at the Frederick, Montgomery County, PA pottery of his father, Christian Neiffer), rank among the most extraordinary pottery examples produced in 19th century America. Related masterworks include an iconic, large-sized bank in the form of Santa Claus, sold in Crocker Farm's May 21, 2005 auction, which set a record for a Pennsylvania redware bank. The cabin offered in our Fall auction features an exceptional glaze and appealing figural embellishments in the form of a cat scaling the corner of the dwelling, birds perched on the roof, and a woman seated on a bench with gathering basket. Provenance: Collection of Lewis Fenley "Dusty" Parker; Christie's Sale 8368, Sept. 6 1997, lot 162 (includes lot sticker on underside); Ex-Collection Seamen's Bank for Savings. L 6 1/4" ; W 5 1/2" ; H 4 1/2".

Outstanding Redware Sugar Jar with Yellow-Slip Floral Decoration, Pennsylvania, late 18th or early 19th centuryOutstanding Redware Sugar Jar with Yellow-Slip Floral Decoration, Pennsylvania, late 18th or early 19th centuryOutstanding Redware Sugar Jar with Yellow-Slip Floral Decoration, Pennsylvania, late 18th or early 19th centuryOutstanding Redware Sugar Jar with Yellow-Slip Floral Decoration, Pennsylvania, late 18th or early 19th centuryOutstanding Redware Sugar Jar with Yellow-Slip Floral Decoration, Pennsylvania, late 18th or early 19th centuryOutstanding Redware Sugar Jar with Yellow-Slip Floral Decoration, Pennsylvania, late 18th or early 19th centuryOutstanding Redware Sugar Jar with Yellow-Slip Floral Decoration, Pennsylvania, late 18th or early 19th centuryOutstanding Redware Sugar Jar with Yellow-Slip Floral Decoration, Pennsylvania, late 18th or early 19th century

Form and Decoration. Outstanding Open-Handled Redware Jar with Yellow-Slip Floral Decoration, Eastern PA origin, late 18th or early 19th century. Provenance: Collection of Lewis Fenley "Dusty" Parker. H 7" ; Diam. (at rim) 6 1/2".

Exceptional Pennsylvania Redware Plate with Three-Color Slip Decoration

Color and Condition. Exceptional Glazed Redware Plate with Crosshatched Three-Color Slip Decoration, Berks County, PA origin, 19th century. Among the most striking plates from the region that we have offered. Provenance: Collection of Lewis Fenley "Dusty" Parker. Diam. 9 1/4".

Exceptional Exceptional Exceptional Exceptional Exceptional Exceptional Exceptional Exceptional

Western PA Incised Eagle. Large-Sized Stoneware Keg-Form Cooler with Incised Federal Eagle Decoration, Incised "1841," Stamped "EZER WHITE," Ezer (Ezra) White, Mercer, Mercer County, PA, 1841. Few examples of incised stoneware from Western Pennsylvania are known, this example featuring one of the earliest renderings of a Federal eagle seen in stoneware from the region. Decades later, cobalt-stenciled eagles would become synonymous with the Western PA stoneware aesthetic. This cooler is decorated with poured brown slip under a clear salt glaze. The few surviving works by White indicate he was proficient in both stoneware and redware production. A heavily-decorated redware tea canister by White, dated 1846, was sold in Crocker Farm's March 23, 2019 auction, lot 174. A related tea canister resides in the collection of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, Williamsburg, VA. While other examples of White's work include a hand-incised signature, this cooler is the first piece that we have seen marked with a maker's stamp. H 20".

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