Summer 2021 Auction Featured Photos

Masterwork of American Art. Highly Important Twenty-Five Gallon Four-Handled Stoneware Jar with Alkaline Glaze, Inscribed "A very Large Jar which has 4 handles / pack it full of fresh meats- then light candles," Signed "Lm . April 12 . 1858 / Dave," David Drake at Lewis Miles' Stony Bluff Manufactory, Edgefield District, SC, 1858.

Discovered fifty years ago by the iconic Southern folk historian and author, Dr. John Burrison, this jar ranks among Dave's greatest known works. It is one of only four documented examples of Dave's signed work to feature his four-handled form--the decorative zenith of his output as a potter. The jar's incised poem directly comments on the unusual form and the purpose of such pieces: "A very Large Jar which has 4 handles / pack it full of fresh meats- then light candles." Less than thirty-five Dave works featuring incised couplets in this style are known. Leonard Todd argues in his book, Carolina Clay, that this particular couplet refers to the sealing of pottery jars with candle wax for preservation purposes. The pot's size, an imposing twenty-five gallons marked by twenty-five incised slash marks at the shoulder, was too large to dip for glazing, requiring a dynamic, spontaneously-poured glaze of varying shades and luster throughout the surface. This object embodies all of the characteristics one seeks in Dave's finest work, featuring an incised poem, incised date and signature, monumental size, rare form, and expressive glaze. This national ceramic treasure represents one of the greatest examples of American pottery to ever come to auction and an extremely rare opportunity that may never arise again. Provenance: John Burrison Collection. H 24 1/2"; Diam. (at rim) 16 3/4" ; Diam. (at widest) approx. 22" ; Circum. approx. 77".

American Stoneware Masterwork. Highly Important Anna Pottery Stoneware Liberty Monument with Applied Figural Decoration, Wallace and Cornwall Kirkpatrick, Anna, IL, 1873. This recently-discovered folk sculpture by two of the nation's most celebrated ceramicists is perhaps the most historically significant, racially progressive, and politically charged examples of American pottery known.

Wheel-thrown in the form of a monument with hand-incised bricks, this previously-unknown form relates to Anna Pottery's iconic aquarium castles. Its surface is glazed in Albany slip with glass runs to the base and green-glazed highlights to the upper body. Ornamented with hand-sculpted and molded figures throughout, this work serves as a social commentary on the American Reconstruction Era. The primary subject of the sculpture is the Colfax Massacre, today viewed as the largest lynching in American history. On Easter Sunday in 1873, as many as a 153 African-Americans were slain at the Grant Parish Courthouse, located in Colfax, Louisiana. Republican black militiamen had occupied the courthouse as a result of a hotly-contested Louisiana gubernatorial election, one marked by fraud on the part of white supremacist Democrats. Despite surrendering, the militiamen were killed at the courthouse at the hand of a white Democrat mob, which included ex-Confederates armed with rifles and a small cannon. The Kirkpatricks' sculpture depicts this tragedy in vivid detail, with two white figures, armed with a rifle and pistol, one wearing a Confederate forage cap, pressing their weapons against a black man and woman, who are covering their eyes in anguish and fear. A third black figure kneels with his arm on a child, in an attempt to shield her from the violence. The Kirkpatricks, in their typical sarcastic fashion, have placed a plaque below the figures reading, "Our protection under the Civil right Bill," referring to the "Civil Rights Act of 1866," the first U.S. Federal law stating that citizens of all races had equal protection under the law. A second plaque beside the figures reads "Freedom in Louisiana." Another figure, a black woman related to those found on Anna's shoo fly jugs, attempts to scale the tower towards a ballot box, inscribed "Kellogg," for William Pitt Kellogg, the Republican gubernatorial candidate of 1872. (Fraud was rampant during this election. Among the obstacles faced by blacks was a requirement for voters to prove an age of 21 to vote, despite the fact that former slaves were never given birth certificates.) Even higher on the tower is a molded figure of a reclining lion, inscribed "USG," for President Ulysses S. Grant, and the tower's peak is surmounted by a molded figure of Lady Liberty. The depiction of a black woman ascending a tower to vote serves as an allegory for the difficulties African-Americans faced with the Reconstruction era voting system. However, more broadly speaking, her ascent can be seen as an attempt at reaching an even greater goal at its apex: Liberty.

The Colfax Massacre has gained more recognition in this century as a pivotal moment in our nation's history. A second very different story is illustrated on the left side of the tower. Here we see a well-dressed family with father holding his hand against his head in despair. A figure climbing a ladder above the family, identified by the inscription "Colfax" on his leg, represents Vice President Schuyler Colfax (1823-1885), who served from 1869 to 1873 under the Grant administration. A plaque to the left of Colfax reads, "this great hight(sic) makes me dizzy," referring to the challenge of having the second highest office in the land. A second plaque, through which Colfax is stepping, reads, "got his foot in it / Credit Mobelier." In 1872-1873, several stockholders in the Union Pacific Railroad formed a construction company called Credit Mobilier of America to build the Eastern portion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Credit Mobilier overcharged the construction by $44 million, which went to Union Pacific executives, who used $9 million of it to bribe high-ranking congressmen. Vice President Colfax was also implicated in the fraud, essentially ending his political career. A plaque to the right of the family below Colfax reads "my friends are falling," referring to the economic collapse of the Union Pacific Railroad and its investors in the wake of the scandal. It is interesting to note that the name, Colfax, plays a role in both events depicted on the tower: one being the name of a Vice President and the other being the name of an ill-fated town in Louisiana--one representing the powerful and the other representing the powerless.

A total of four wheel-thrown match safes are applied to the object's base and top, indicating that this creation was more than decorative, but may have been prominently displayed in a bar, lounge, or other place of business. Various other plaques applied to the surface reference the Revenue Act of 1862, designed to help fund the Civil War, in part, through excise taxes on various items, including matches. One plaque reads, "U.S. revenue / on matches / 3 cents." Another proclaims, "no tax on silks / and jewelry / put i[t] all on / matches." A large plaque on the tower's reverse distills the Kirkpatricks' view of the Civil War into one simple slogan: "the great show / COST / 3 000 000 000 / Dollars." Describing the war as a "show" and listing its exorbitant price (largely paid for by taxes), the Kirkpatrick brothers are decrying the war as something theatrical, expensive, and largely ineffective in leading to a truly free nation. The Anna Pottery Liberty Monument stands as one of the most ambitious works in all of 19th century American ceramics, both in terms of its craftsmanship as well as its message. Provenance: Recently-surfaced in the Western United States. H 23" ; Diam. (at base) 9".

Big Cat. Exceptional Six-Gallon Stoneware Crock with Elaborate Cobalt Lioness Decoration, Stamped "F. STETZENMEYER & CO. / ROCHESTER, N.Y.," circa 1860. This crock features the only female lion that we have seen in the Rochester stoneware tradition. Measuring 9 1/2" long, this crock's bold figural design includes elaborate ground cover and a classic Stetzenmeyer flower behind the animal. H 14 1/4".

New York State Masterwork. Outstanding Five-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Oversized Flowering Urn Decoration, Stamped "WEST TROY / N.Y. / POTTERY," circa 1875. Among the greatest renderings of this desirable Northeastern stoneware motif known, measuring an astounding 14 1/2" on the jug's front. H 19 1/4".

Manhattan Rarity. Exceptional Two-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Foliate Decoration, Stamped "DAVID MORGAN / NEW YORK," Manhattan, NY, circa 1800. One of a very few examples of signed David Morgan stoneware known with freehand incised decoration. H 14 1/4".

Exceedingly Rare and Important Manganese-Decorated Redware Jar, Stamped "Jackson," William Jackson, Saugus, Essex County, MA, circa 1811. The only signed example of William Jackson's work that we have seen, this jar includes wonderful manganese slip decoration, spontaneously brushed in loops around the body of the jar. Jackson arrived in Saugus (then Lynn), Massachusetts from Manchester, England in 1806. Short-lived in the pottery industry at his homestead, "Jackson's Meadow," Jackson would eventually become involved in state politics. He was elected Town Moderator of Saugus in 1815 and later served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1827-1828. This jar ranks among the most significant examples of signed New England redware to come to auction in years. H 9".

Form, Maker, and Decoration. Extremely Rare One-Gallon Stoneware Batter Pail with Cobalt Bird and Grapes Decoration, Stamped "COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG, PA," circa 1865. Pairing the firm most iconic form with two of their signature designs, this work is among the finest examples from this pottery to come to auction in years. The inclusion of a flower held in the bird's beak is most unusual. H 8 1/4".

Rare Two-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Cobalt Tree and House Scene, Stamped "J. & E. NORTON / BENNINGTON, VT," circa 1855. H 15".

Very Rare Stoneware Pitcher with Incised Floral Decoration, Dated 1856, attributed to Henry Harrison Remmey, Philadelphia, PA, 1856. This pitcher, one of a small number of incised examples of the form known from the Remmeys' tenure in Philadelphia, features decoration related to Henry H. Remmey's early years in Baltimore. It was produced from an even-toned, beige clay, finer than seen on the Remmeys' standard Philadelphia pieces, and includes a highly unusual Bristol-glazed interior, further identifying it as a specially-produced work. H 9".

Exceedingly Rare Anna Pottery Stoneware Pig Flask with Two-Sided Cincinnati, OH Advertising, Signed "ANNA / ill," Wallace and Cornwall Kirkpatrick, Anna, IL, circa 1875. One side reads, "Lanier Felps & Co / Wholesale Grocers / Give long Credit without int / and never charge for Packages / or drayage and allways / keep a little Pure Old Peach / in a hogs." The reverse reads, "Barrett Dole & Co / Dealers in Pipes Tobacco Cigars / wood ware cordage & c / 28 30 32 Front St & 26 Walnut St / Cincinnati / O." Among the most heavily-inscribed Anna pig flasks known. Provenance: A recently-discovered example. L 8 1/4".

Norton Icon. Very Rare Four-Gallon Stoneware Advertising Jar with Cobalt Reclining Lion Decoration, Stamped "GILES' & CO' DEALERS IN / HARD.WARE, IRON, CROCKERY, GROCERIES. / PAINTS WOODEN-WARE, STATIONARY, &C.&C. / VARIETY STORE CHERRY VALLEY," attributed to J. & E. Norton, Bennington, VT, circa 1855.

Among the finest examples of Norton stoneware to come to auction in years, this example features one of this pottery's rarest and most coveted figural designs. This example appears to be perfectly-fired with a striking, enamel-like quality to the cobalt and superior contrast against the clay background. Its wonderful advertising at the shoulder, mentioning a variety of 19th century household goods including crockery, offers insight into how such pieces were marketed in their day. H 15".

Fine Three-Gallon Stoneware Crock with Elaborate Stump and Flying Bird Decoration, Stamped "WEST TROY / N.Y. / POTTERY," circa 1875.

Pennsylvania Masterwork. Exceedingly Rare and Important Three-Gallon Stoneware Cooler with Cobalt Federal Eagle Decoration, Inscribed "LIBERTY / 1853," Southeastern PA origin, 1853. Featuring a spread-winged Federal eagle with arrows on the front and a floral design emanating from a large heart on the reverse, this probably-unique work is among the finest-decorated stoneware coolers known from the region. H 13 1/2".

Fine Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Federal Eagle Decoration, attributed to Daniel Goodale, Hartford, CT, cira 1825-1830. H 17".

Newly-Discovered Stamp. Exceedingly Rare Stoneware Jar with Impressed Dove of Peace Decoration, attributed to Jonathan Fenton, Boston, MA, late 18th century. This previously-undocumented jar features the only dove of peace stamp that we have seen on an example of Boston area stoneware. The motif is based on the Biblical story of Noah releasing a dove from his ark and the bird returning with an olive leaf in its beak, indicating the flood waters had receded. The image has come to symbolize peace. The use of this design on a shortly post-Colonial American-made jar may be symbolic of America's time of peace following the Revolution. During the same period, a related representation of this design served as the weathervane on George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. Provenance: Recently surfaced in New Jersey. H 8 1/4".

Fine Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Two-Sided Incised Bird Decoration, Manhattan, NY or NJ origin, circa 1800. H 11 1/4".

Age, Form, and Decoration. Exceptional Three-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Elaborate Cobalt Watchspring Decoration, Manhattan, NY or Cheesequake, NJ origin, third quarter 18th century. Among the finest watchspring-decorated jars that we have offered. H 15 1/4".

Earliest Southern Stoneware Maker's Mark. Exceedingly Rare and Important Three-Gallon Iron-Decorated Stoneware Jug, Stamped "Baltimore Union Stoneware Manufactory," Michael Grub and John Kilmer, Baltimore, MD, circa 1808-1810. H 16 1/2".

Very Rare One-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Bold Cobalt Tulip Decoration, Stamped "J.P:S," attributed to John Poole Schermerhorn, Richmond, VA origin, circa 1811-1837. Among the most finely-decorated pieces bearing this elusive stamp known. Literature: For a related jar, see Russ and Schermerhorn, "Rocketts' Red Glare: John P. Schermerhorn and the Early Richmond-Area Stoneware Industry," Ceramics in America 2005, fig.67. H 10 3/8".

Exceptional Two-Gallon Stoneware Pitcher with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "IRELAND / & / DUEY / MT. CRAWFORD / VA," circa 1870. Featuring Alexandria-inspired decoration indicating James Shinnick as the decorator, this work is among the finest examples from this pottery known. H 13 1/2".

Rare Half-Gallon Stoneware Pitcher with Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "JOHN BELL / WAYNESBORO'," PA origin, circa 1850-1880. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, which recently surfaced in Waynesboro, PA. H 8 1/2".

Fine Small-Sized Tanware Pitcher, New Geneva or Greensboro, PA origin, circa 1885. H 5 5/8".

Very Rare One-Gallon Stoneware Pitcher with Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "WM. MOYER.," Harrisburg, PA origin, circa 1858-1861. The first pitcher bearing William Moyer's maker's mark that we have ever offered. H 11".

Outstanding Five-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Bird-on-Branch Decoration, Stamped "COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG, PA," circa 1865. H 14 1/4".

Bathing Beauty. Very Rare Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Bathing Beauty Decoration, Stamped "EDMANDS & CO.," Barnabas Edmands, Charlestown, MA, circa 1860. The only incised example of Edmands stoneware that we have seen, this jug features a detailed rendering of a woman in Victorian bathing suit with bloomers, vine-patterned dress, and head band, carrying a parasol. H 15 3/4".

Liberty Forever. Rare Stoneware Jar with Impressed Decoration, Stamped "LIBERTY FOREV / WARNE & LETTs 1807 / S. AMBOY. N. JERSY," Thomas Warne and Joshua Letts, South Amboy, NJ, 1807. H 12 3/4".

Rare Small-Sized Stoneware Jug with Impressed Decoration, Stamped "S.AMBOY.N.JERSY," attributed to Thomas Warne and Joshua Letts, South Amboy, NJ, early 19th century. H 9 1/4".

Rare Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Impressed Sun Face Decoration, Xerxes Price, Sayreville, NJ or Josiah Chapman, Troy, NY, early 19th century. This jar is the first that we have offered with the sun face decorated with cobalt in this manner. Provenance: Recently surface in NJ. H 10 3/8".

Very Rare Two-Gallon Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Jug, Stamped "W. NICHOLS. / PO'KEEPSIE.," NY State origin, circa 1823. According to George H. Lukacs' book, Poughkeepsie Potters and the Plague, Nichols began stamping his ware with his own maker's mark upon acquiring his own pottery site in July of 1823. This mark would be used for only a few months, ending with the potter's untimely death on September 29, 1823, at the age of 25. (Lukacs, pp. 50-53.) Among the numerous Nichols stoneware objects in existence, very few signed examples are known. Provenance: Recently surfaced in NJ. H 14".

Redware Masterwork. Important Glazed Redware Face Jug, Northeastern U.S. origin, possibly NJ, Dated Twice "Oct. 5. 1844." This example belongs to a small group of manganese-glazed redware face jugs with yellow eyes and teeth, all of related Northeastern U.S. origin. This example features brushed kaolin slip forming the whites of the eyes and applied kaolin teeth in the manner of the Edgefield stoneware tradition. The jug's fine modeling and exemplary condition rank it as arguably the finest of this group, as well as one of the greatest American redware face vessels known. Provenance: Descended from Hannah Amelia Wetmore nee Brookfield (d. 1897) of Morristown, New Jersey to her daughter Carolin Wetmore (1865-1956) of Warren, Pennsylvania; donated by Carolin Wetmore's son to the Bethel Historical Society, Bethel, ME; deaccessioned in 2011; Thomaston Auction. Carolin Wetmore had stated that "since childhood [she] had alway remembered that the jug stood in the kitchen of her mother's home in Warren." H 6 1/2".

Rare Four-Gallon Stoneware Churn with Cobalt Dancing Man Decoration, Ohio origin, third quarter 19th century. H 16".

Rare One-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Folky Cobalt Bird Decoration, Stamped "D. ALBRIGHT," Trumbull County, OH origin, mid 19th century. H 11 3/4".

Western PA for the Southern Market. Exceptional Ten-Gallon Stoneware Churn with Profuse Freehand Cobalt Decoration, Stenciled "SPIRE & DUFF / NASHVILLE, TENN.," attributed to Enoch Fowler, Beaver, PA, circa 1870. Outstanding in form, size, and decoration, this monumental work ranks among the finest examples of Tennessee advertising stoneware known. H 22 3/4".

Civil War Commemorative Jar. Exceedingly Rare Albany-Slip-Glazed Stoneware Canning Jar, Inscribed "5000 / men Slain / yesterday at Laurel / hill!," Stamped "A. DOLLISON," Armstrong Dollison, Vinton and Hocking Counties, OH, October 1864. The Battle of Laurel Hill, also known as the Battle of Chaffin's Farm and New Market Heights, took place on September 29 and 30, 1864 during the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of the Civil War. This campaign saw the largest concentration of African-American troops during the Civil War and was fought largely through trench warfare. The battle saw combat between Union General, Benjamin F. Butler, and Confederates Generals, Robert E. Lee and Richard S. Ewell. Declared a Union victory, this battle did witness 5,000 casualties (though not deaths, illustrating a misunderstanding on the potter's part). (A previous skirmish in what is now West Virginia is called the Battle of Laurel Hill and recognized as one of the first land engagements of the conflict; it, however, saw very few casualties.) An important stoneware relic of American Civil War era; relatively few American stoneware objects reference the Civil War, especially with such specificity. H 8".

Rare Quart-Sized Stoneware Jug, Incised "Jesse Vestal / 1881," Washington County, VA origin, 1881. Provenance: Recently surfaced in NJ. H 7".

Exceptional Four-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Cobalt Pheasant-on-Stump Decoration, Stamped "HAXSTUN OTTMAN & CO / FORT EDWARD N.Y.," circa 1875. Provenance: Recently surfaced in New Jersey. H 17".

Outstanding Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Elaborate Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "F. STETZENMEYER. &. CO. / ROCHESTER. N.Y.," circa 1860. H 15 1/2".

Rare Four-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Peacock Decoration, Stamped "COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG, PA," circa 1865. H 13".

Rare One-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "T.H. WILLSON & CO / HARRISBURG. PA", circa 1852-1855. Provenance: Purchased by the consignor at Roan Auction's Sale of the Eleanor C. Stipp Collection in the 1980s. Stipp reportedly had family connections to the Harrisburg stoneware industry. Red labels on the jar's reverse and underside indicate the piece's maker and Stipp provenance. H 10".

Very Rare Glazed Redware Butter Tub, Stamped "UPTON M. BELL / Waynesboro, PA," circa 1895. H 5 3/4" ; Diam. (across top) 8 5/8".

Signed Virginia Cooler. Extremely Rare Five-Gallon Stoneware Water Cooler, Stamped "KEESEE & PARR, / RICHMOND, / VIRGINIA," circa 1865. To our knowledge, this cooler is the only signed example of this form produced at David Parr, Jr's. Richmond pottery, a prolific manufactory rooted in the Baltimore stoneware tradition. Few water coolers by any Virginia pottery are known. This work includes a stylishly-formed, elongated bunghole and highly unusual maker's mark variant, which features a large-sized font and the word "VIRGINIA" spelled out in its entirety. Among the most important works known from this pottery. H 17 1/2".

In the Manhattan Style. Very Rare Three-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Fruit and Foliate Decoration, Staunton, VA origin, second quarter 19th century. Potted in the Manhattan, NY style, this jug's clay color and handle construction indicate it was manufactured in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The vessel's distinctive openwork incising, which involves a circular piece of fruit hanging below splayed leaves, is seen on other attributed Staunton, Virginia pieces, including a jar, inscribed "Quinces," sold in Crocker Farm's November 3, 2007 auction. H 16".

Fine One-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "B.C. MILBURN," Alexandria, VA origin, circa 1850. H 9 3/4".

Meaders Masterwork. Outstanding Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Snake Vase, Signed "Lanier Meaders / 9-9-78," Cleveland, GA, 1978. Among the rarest and most desirable forms produced by this legendary Southern folk artist. Provenance: Collection of Dr. John B. Burrison, Atlanta, GA; on loan to the Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, GA since 1981. H 11".

Fine Early-Period Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Face Jug, Signed "Lanier Meaders / Cleveland / Ga," circa 1965-1970.An excellent example of Meaders' early work depicted with various "early-period" features. The inclusion of Meaders' hometown of Cleveland, Georgia in the signature is rarely seen. Provenance: Collection of Dr. John Burrison, Atlanta, GA; on loan to the Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, GA since 1981. H 8 1/2".