Extremely Rare and Important Stoneware Jar, Kemple Pottery, Ringoes, NJ, circa 1775

July 18, 2015 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 359

Price Realized: $2,415.00

($2,100 hammer, plus 15% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 9 years old, and the American ceramics market frequently changes. 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.

July 18, 2015 Auction Catalog

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Extremely Rare and Important Three-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Elaborate Cobalt Pomegranate Decoration, attributed to the Kemple Pottery, Ringoes, New Jersey, circa 1746-1795, ovoid jar with heavily-tooled shoulder, footed base, and thick open loop handles, decorated on the front and reverse with a distinctive design of a scrolled vine bearing two pomegranate fruits. This motif is repeated again under each handle. A large cobalt "3" on one side indicates the capacity of the vessel. Cobalt banding encompasses the base and shoulder and heavy cobalt brushwork surrounds the handle terminals. This jar survives as one of a small number of known, intact stoneware pieces produced at the pottery of Johan Kemple and his descendants in Ringoes, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Pottery produced at this site is prized both for its extremely early date of manufacture, much of it being colonial and dating to the mid 18th century, as well as for its strong decorative appeal. This example, featuring the Kemples' unique cobalt pomegranate motifs and classic form, is one of only four pieces from this pottery we have ever offered. Literature: For more information, see "The Eighteenth-Century New Jersey Stoneware Potteries of Captain James Morgan and the Kemple Family" by Goldberg, Warwick, and Warwick in Ceramics in America 2008. A 9" vertical crack on one side, which connects to two thin lines on underside. An in-the-firing line through one handle. A shallow contact mark on top of rim. H 14 1/2".