Search |
 February, 2015 | 40 Items | April, 2015  |
| PAUL REVERE (AMERICAN, 1735-1818) THE BLOODY MASSACRE PERPETRATED IN KING STREET, BOSTON, ON MARCH 5TH 1770, BY A PARTY OF THE 29TH REGT. Boston: Engrav'd Printed & Sold by Paul Revere, March 1770., engraving with hand-coloring, Brigham, plate 14; this variant with small clock at left center reading 10:20 (Brigham notes a later variant altered to the more historically accurate time of 8:00). Printed on laid paper with watermark "W," framed, sheet ht. 11.25, wd. 9.625 in. Provenance: John Fremont Hill (1855-1912), 45th Governor of Maine (1901-1905). A native of Eliot, Maine, he graduated from Maine Medical School of Brunswick in 1877, practicing for a year in Boothbay Harbor. Soon thereafter he helped establish the successful Vickery and Hill Publishing Company. He began his political career being elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1889 and served for three years before serving in the Senate from 1893-1897. Hill was elected Governor in 1900 and served that office for two terms. The Bloody Massacre print is documented in estate files as having hung in the governor's mansion in Augusta, Maine. Upon Hill's death in 1912, the print was inherited by his son-in-law John Merrill and his daughter Katharine Hill Merrill, who lived in the governor's mansion through the 1960s. It then descended to their daughter, Mary Merrill of Saco, Maine, who preserved it until 2005 when it passed to her nephew, the present owner. Unfortunately, the details of when and where John Fremont Hill acquired Revere's Bloody Massacre print are unknown. Condition: spot restorations to left margin, upper left sky partially effecting the moon, billowing smoke, edge of the steeple, and "RE" in "MASSACRE" with professionally repaired splits on the verso. An "L" shaped split on the right margin not extending into the image. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $100,000-120,000 Price Realized: $135,000 | |
| THE PHILLIPS FAMILY NEEDLEWORK PICTURE, Sarah Phillips (b. Rowley, Massachusetts, 1656), Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1670, worked in red, blue, yellow, black, and white wool and silver and gold metallic threads on a blue/green linen ground, composed of two figures flanking the "Tree of Life" at center, the prodigal son at lower right, a brick building facade with mica "window" at right center, a cloud and partially obscured sun at upper left, and a rainbow at upper right, further stitched with a shepherd and his flock, leafy trees, flowers, a pomegranate, several birds, insects, and animals including a dog, a squirrel, a rabbit, a recumbent lion, a beaver, and a recumbent stag, under glass in a molded wood frame, (survives in a remarkable state of preservation, with minor losses, some discoloration), 17.25 x 24.25 in. Provenance: Preserved by the Phillips family for more than three centuries, the Sarah Phillips needlework picture has a long and well-documented provenance. Sarah Phillips (1656-1707) was a daughter of Reverend Samuel Phillips (1625-1696) who immigrated to America from Boxted, England in 1630 on the ship Arbella with his parents Reverend George and Elizabeth Phillips settling in Watertown, MA. Reverend George Phillips (c. 1593-1644) was the first minister of Watertown, MA. Reverend Samuel Phillips graduated from Harvard College in 1650 and settled in Rowley, MA in 1651. He married Sarah Appleton that same year and with her had eleven children including Sarah (1656-1707). Sarah was reportedly educated at a private school in Boston where she likely stitched her needlepoint picture in the late 1660s or early 1670s. Sarah Phillips married Stephen Mighill (1651-1687) in 1680 and had at least three children together. The needlepoint picture descended through their son, Nathaniel's (1684-1761) family passing to Nathaniel's son Nathaniel (1715-1788) then to his daughter Hannah Mighill Perley (1753-1812), then to her daughter Hannah Perley (1772-1858). Hannah Perley is documented as having owned Sarah Phillips' needlepoint picture in Thomas Gage's The History of Rowley published in 1840. On September 5, 1839, the town of Rowley celebrated its second centennial anniversary of its settlement. Much of the festivities occurred in a pavilion erected in the town to host a dinner and several orations on the historic occasion. In this pavilion were also displayed "relics" of Rowley's past including "A piece of embroidery of curious workmanship, wrought by Sarah Phillips, (daughter of the Rev. Samuel Phillips, the second minister of Rowley,) more than one hundred and sixty years ago, attracted much attention, and is now owned by Miss Hannah Perley, the said Sarah Phillips being grandmother to the said Hannah's grandfather…" It may have been the needlepoint's exhibition in Rowley that prompted the penning of its short history on the picture frame's wooden backing board reading "This picture was/wrought at a boarding/school in Boston by/Miss Sarah Phillips/ daughter of Rev. Sam./Phillips." Shortly after the celebration, it seems, the needlepoint picture was transferred to Hannah Perley's cousin Hannah Lancaster Sawyer (1754-1851), a great-granddaughter of Sarah Phillips. In December 1842 the picture was purchased from Hannah Lancaster Sawyer for thirty dollars by the Honorable Jonathan Phillips (1778-1860). Jonathan Phillips was a direct descendent of Sarah Phillips' brother Samuel (1658-1722) and a celebrated Boston philanthropist. There is no doubt that the needlework picture purchased by Jonathan Phillips in 1842 is the Sarah Phillips needlework. In a letter written to Jonathan Phillips on December 3 by Ann Tracy, a relative of Jonathan's facilitating the sale, Tracy describes the picture and ponders its symbolism and iconography: "With how lordly a bearing do those portly sheep trample mid-air as if they were walking on this terrible earth! And that powerful beast - placed in the region of the clouds, & of the rainbow - is the showing fight to his neighbors, or scampering away in fear, while he throws a look of fierce menace, if not of defiance, behind him? We are permitted, in common with yourself to gaze, awe-stricken upon our far-off ancestor with his Spanish cloak, & in his knightly attitude, rejecting, with the extended arm of eloquent rebuke the fruit which the Lady Eve is plucking for him, in her Parisian costume of the Old-Court style of elegance. Can you or Mrs. P. resolve the problem which troubles our doubts respecting the building? Is it, with its nice pediment & supporting pillars, intended to represent the "bower of bliss" provided for the first pair --- or, have the able-bodied birds surmounting it, made no mistake in taking it for a shelter for themselves? Certainly the most natural & affecting presentation is that of the poor Prodigal, still clad in his splendid garments, partaking of the husks which his valorous swine are devouring" Phillips family oral history states that upon Jonathan's death in 1860 the needlework picture was given to his only son William (1819-1873). Jonathan's will supports this noting that "All the remainder of my estate, real, personal, and mixed, I give and bequeath to my son William Phillips, to be at his free and absolute disposal forever." Phillips family history also states that upon William's death in 1873 that the picture was given to John Charles Phillips (1838-1885), a fact also supported by William Phillips' will noting "I give unto John Charles Phillips now of New York, merchant, son of Reverend John Charles Phillips, now of said Boston, all my plate, pictures, statuary, engravings, books, household furniture, watches, jewelry, wines and ornaments." After John Charles Phillips' death in 1885 the picture descended to his son the Honorable William Phillips (1878-1968) a distinguished career United States Diplomat. In 1939 William Phillips' wife, Caroline, lent the Sarah Phillips needlework picture to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts where it was photographed and documented, removed from its old frame and remounted by the museum's textiles department. It was subsequently exhibited at the museum during the winters of 1945 and 1946. The needlepoint picture has remained in the family of William Phillips to this day. Note: This is one of a very few pictorial 17th century American needleworks known, though of course it follows English design somewhat closely. In a letter to Mrs. William Phillips, dated January 19, 1945, Gertrude Townsend, Curator of Textiles at the Museum of Fine Arts, remarks on "the use of the bluish wool ground, instead of white satin, and wool instead of silk, for the stitchery, is a deviation from the English custom. The result is delightful." The letter goes on to include Ms. Townsend's hope that the Museum be granted "the privilege of exhibiting this embroidered picture with our other New England embroideries," and finishes the letter referring to Sarah Phillips's work as "one of the few important surviving examples of seventeenth century work which can be attributed to New England." Prior to publishing her exhaustive work Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers and Pictorial Needlework 1650-1850 (Knopf, New York, 1993), Betty Ring also examined Sarah's work. She writes in Volume I, "Pictorial embroideries, like samplers, were surely made by seventeenth-century colonial schoolgirls, but only two authentic examples are known" (p. 30). In a footnote on the same page, Ring refers to the present lot specifically: "Unpublished is a pictorial embroidery of wool, silk, metal, and mica on a greenish-blue wool... It features a couple in seventeenth-century dress beside the Tree of Life and a rendition of the prodigal son amid many birds, beasts, and flowers. Inscribed on the reverse: 'This picture was wrought at a boarding school in Boston by Miss Sarah Phillips daughter of Rev. Sam. Phillips.' This fully documented and wonderfully colorful piece was loaned to the MFA [Museum of Fine Arts, Boston] in 1946." On page 31, a needlework, probably made in Boston, by Rebeckah Wheeler of Concord, is pictured (fig. 30). Like Sarah Phillips's needlework, Rebeckah Wheeler's consists of little raised work, and is stitched in wool threads which, Ring tells us, like Gertrude Townsend reported in 1945, is different from similar English work of the time, which was most often in silk. In Jonathan Fairbanks and Robert Trent's work New England Begins, Linda Wesselman discusses Rebeckah Wheeler's sampler as entry number 318 (Vol. 2, pp. 311-12). She mentions the lack of raised work also, as being in distinct contrast to English needleworks of the period. More, Wesselman describes the "personal translations of pictorial sources" -animals, insects, etc.- apparent in Rebeckah's work, citing two European pattern books from the early 17th century to which Rebeckah had access as source material, and to which Sarah Phillips, at her school, likely had access as well. From a purely compositional standpoint, Rebeckah's needlework follows the English model - fully worked, with vertical figures overlapping horizontals creating the sense of a three-dimensional space, and the result is more restrained and less imaginative. Sarah's sampler shows no such restraint, and profound imagination. Her figures, while carefully arranged to create an overall balance to the work, float freely and give the picture a sense of whimsy. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $800,000-1,200,000 Price Realized: $903,000 | |
| JOHN STEVENS JR. WOOLEN NEEDLEWORK POCKETBOOK, possibly Perth Amboy, New Jersey, 1774, the envelope-shaped pocket book worked in Irish stitch in a zigzag diamond pattern in shades of yellow, red, pink, purple, green, orange, and brown, with two compartments and a large floral-engraved silver clasp, the inner edge of the book embroidered in white woolen threads on a green background "Iohn Stevens junr November 19, 1774," (minor losses and wear), together with a paper-bound tune book inscribed on the front cover "Esther Freebody/her Book 1786" including four pages of handwritten music. Pocketbook folded dimensions ht. 4.5, wd. 8 in. Note: There are two possibilities for the identity of the original owner of this pocketbook. One is John Stevens, Junior (1715/16-1792) who settled in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in the early 1740s. He served as paymaster of Colonel Peter Schuyler's 1st New Jersey Regiment, the "Jersey Blues," 1756-1760. He was a vocal opponent of the Stamp Act and was part of a committee formed to prevent the issue of the stamps in New York City. Stevens was elected Vice-President of Council of New Jersey in 1776 and served in that capacity until 1782. He also served as president of the convention of New Jersey when the state ratified the Unites States Constitution in 1787. The second possibility is John Stevens III (1749-1838) who was the son of John Stevens Jr. (1715/16-1792). He was an engineer and inventor who graduated from King's College in 1768. During the American Revolution he served as the treasurer for the State of New Jersey and signed New Jersey currency "J Stevens Jun." In 1791 he received a patent for a "boiler for generating steam" and later built a railroad between Trenton and New Brunswick, New Jersey. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $3,000-5,000 Price Realized: $11,070 | |
| CHIPPENDALE CARVED MAHOGANY SIDE CHAIR, Boston, Massachusetts, with carving possibly by John Welch (1711-1789), the serpentine crest centering a carved shell with flanking acanthus leaves, on the vasiform splat and shaped stiles above the upholstered compass seat and shaped rails, the frontal cabriole legs with shell- and pendant-carved knees and webbed claw-and-ball feet joined to the raking chamfered rear legs by block-, vase- and ring-turned stretchers, old refinish, (minor imperfections), ht. 39.5, seat ht. 18 in. Provenance: Israel Sack, Inc., New York, to William H. Coburn, Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1930s. Condition: Replaced glue blocks, some chips and losses to carving, seat rail repinned at stiles and elsewhere. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $4,000-6,000 Price Realized: $28,290 | |
| BLACK PAINTED CHERRY DRESSING TABLE, Connecticut, 18th century, the overhanging molded top on a case of thumbmolded long drawer and three short drawers, centering a fan on concave carved valanced skirt joining cabriole legs with arris knees ending in pad feet on platforms, old replaced brasses, old surface, (top reset), ht. 29.5, case wd. 30.75, case dp. 17.25 in. Condition: The top has been reset, and the glueblocks are replaced. The bottom of the middle bottom drawer has come out - it has been in and out before, and the rabbet that the drawer bottom slides into has some new parts. There is an ink blotch and drip along the inside of the backboard. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $10,000-15,000 Price Realized: $17,220 | |
| JOSEPH DAVIS (ACT. MAINE/NEW HAMPSHIRE, 1811-1865) PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG FAMILY, unsigned. Watercolor on paper, showing the couple facing each other across a grain-painted table on an ingrain carpet, a banjo timepiece on the wall above them and calico cat below, 14.5 x 9.5 in., in a period black-painted and reeded frame. Condition: Toned, water damage to lower edge, not examined out of frame. Condition: Paper is lightly toned overall and has few small spots of foxing, damp staining along lower edge, and there is a 1/4 x 1/8 in. hole at upper edge. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $8,000-12,000 Price Realized: $44,280 | |
| SMALL PAINT-DECORATED POPLAR DOME-TOP BOX, attributed to the "Compasswork Decorator," Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1800-40, the lid lifts on wire and sheet tin hinges above the dovetail-constructed box, original punched tin hasp and lockplate, old surface, ht. 4.75, wd. 5, dp. 3.75 in. Condition: Light wear to front and back edges of lid, a light scratch on front of the box, minor scuffs, paint is darkened overall. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $4,000-6,000 Price Realized: $23,370 | |
| FOLK ART PAINTED NOAH'S ARK WITH APPROXIMATELY 180 ANIMALS, probably Germany, c. 1880, constructed of thin pine boards, the hull painted red with gray deck, the structure painted gray with red roof and floralwork around the eaves, complete with approximately 180 hand-carved and painted animals, (imperfections), ark ht. 17, wd. 28, dp. 8.25 in. Condition: Building has crack along one side, worm holes in base of hull. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $6,000-8,000 Price Realized: $12,300 | |
| RELIEF-CARVED MAHOGANY CAKE BOARD, John Conger, New York, mid-19th century, square board centered with an eagle above a rising sun, flanked by allegorical figures, above a pennant reading "EXCELSIOR," all within a circular border, impressed "J. CONGER" on two edges, 10.75 x 11 in. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $2,000-4,000 Price Realized: $5,535 | |
| MARBLEIZED MOCHA-DECORATED CREAMWARE TEAPOT, England, late 18th century, cylindrical body with brown slip marbling and applied sprig molded rosettes and swags, molded spout and applied extruded handle, (imperfections), ht. 4.75 in. Condition: Approximately two inches of the rim of the lid has been restored and there is a hairline crack extending into the lid from the area of the repair. The handle has been repaired. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $1,000-1,500 Price Realized: $1,722 | |
| DOUBLE-HANDLED MOCHA-DECORATED CREAMWARE COVERED BOWL, England, c. 1800-25, engine-turned body with applied handles decorated with infilled rouletted dot and vine border at rim, two-color brown slip banding on body, and handled lid also with two-color brown slip banding and infilled rouletted dot and chain border, (imperfections), ht. 5.5, dia. 7.75 in. Condition: Lid has "X" shape firing clack on lid and small chips on rim; bowl has 1.5 in. hairline. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $2,000-4,000 Price Realized: $4,305 | |
| DENDRITIC MOCHA POTTERY PULL, America or England, mid-19th century, with brass hook set into top of light brown body, decorated with dark brown ring at top marked with an illegible mark in the body, black dendritic arrays, stamped "PLEASE/PULL," with custom stand, (minor chipping at top), ht. 5.5 in. Condition: Tiny chips at top. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $300-500 Price Realized: $523 | |
| MOCHA-DECORATED CREAMWARE FOOTED GOBLET, England, early 19th century, dark brown slip body with light brown banding on rim and foot with dipped fan decoration on sides, ht. 4.375 in. Condition: Good condition with two very light hairline cracks on the rim and wear to the foot. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $800-1,200 Price Realized: $2,706 | |
| PAINT-DECORATED WOOD AND IRON TAVERN SIGN, America, early 19th century, the double-sided sign comprised of turned stiles with wrought iron hangers joining shaped cresting above the rectangular panel depicting a Native American wearing a feathered headdress and holding a bow and arrow, lettered "JOHNSON" below, the reverse painted with a landscape and also lettered "JOHNSON," (repaint to frame, paint wear to panel, missing one molded edge on reverse), ht. to top of hangers 58.5, wd. 25 in. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $8,000-12,000 Price Realized: $15,990 | |
| NEEDLEWORK SAMPLER, Eliza Davis, Montgomery County, Kentucky, March 12, 1839, worked in wool threads on a linen ground, comprised of five alphabets above a reserve with rhyming verse and the maker's name, surrounded by pictorial elements, in a beaded frame, (fading, toning), 21.25 x 14.5 in. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $800-1,200 Price Realized: $11,070 | |
| INLAID MAHOGANY TALL CASE CLOCK, J. Gooding, New Bedford, Massachusetts, c. 1807-10, the mahogany case with inlaid stringing and crossbanding on the door and base, continuing to French feet, the reeded hood columns and waist columns with brass stop-fluting, with painted and gilt dial showing ages of the moon, inscribed "J. Gooding, New Bedford," with eight-day time and strike movement, old finish, imperfections, (minor restoration), ht. 94.5 in. Condition: minor touch-up to dial, finials and fretwork replaced, minor veneer cracking, original plinths. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $10,000-15,000 Price Realized: $22,140 | |
| ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS SULLY (AMERICA AND ENGLAND, 1783-1872) PORTRAIT OF SUSANNAH LINZEE INMAN LIVINGSTON (1784-1825), UNSIGNED OIL ON CANVAS, the subject seated and shown half-length, wearing an orange dress with a red shawl over one shoulder, 30 x 25 in., in a molded frame. Condition: Retouch, craquelure, heavily varnished. Note: Susannah Linzee Inman was born in Pennsylvania and married Thomas Ferguson Livingston. Together they had twelve children. This portrait is reportedly the one listed in Charles Henry Hart's Register of Works by Thomas Sully, 1801-1871, as number 1060, "Miss Livingston of New York" (p. 107). Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $6,000-9,000 Price Realized: $11,070 | |
| SHEET COPPER "HALLEY'S COMET" WEATHERVANE, America, c. 1840-50, modeled as a six-pointed star constructed of molded sheet copper panels, and long tail, mounted on an iron rod, weathered verdigris surface, lg. 77 in. Note: This weathervane was originally atop the First Presbyterian Church in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, founded in the 1840s. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 1, 2015. Estimate: $8,000-12,000 Price Realized: $24,600 | |
| PIERCED TIN AND GLASS CANDLE LANTERN, America, early 19th century, with ring handle on pierced conical chimney over cylindrical lamp fitted with three early colorless glass panels, one on the hinged door, ht. to top of upright handle 18.75, dia. 12.5 in. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 19, 2015. Estimate: $300-500 Price Realized: $738 | |
| EMBOSSED TIN TWO-LIGHT CANDLE SCONCE, America, early 19th century, pierced arched panel with crimped edges and reeded border, supporting two candle sockets with fluted dished cups, ht. 14.75, wd. 9.75 in. Literature: The Impecunious Collector's Guide to American Antiques, by John T. Kirk, Knopf, 1975, fig. 82. Sold at Skinner Auctions March 19, 2015. Estimate: $400-600 Price Realized: $1,107 | |
| EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND IMPORTANT COBALT DECORATED STONEWARE PRESENTATION HARVEST JUG WITH APPLIED FACES, Incised "R.G. Simkin," attributed to Henry Harrison or Richard Clinton Remmey, circa 1855-1865, wheel-thrown harvest jug with footed base, rainbow handle, and applied narrow and wide spouts. Decorated on both sides with an applied and hand-modeled face of a man, including semi-circular forehead, bulging eyes, nose, mouth, protruding chin, and ears. Incised details to sideburns and beard, eyebrows, and teeth. Impressed circular pupils in eyes. Lavish cobalt brushwork throughout applied faces, including highlights to beard, mustache, eyebrows, and eyes on faces. Top of jug decorated with cobalt dashes along the handle, highlights to the handle terminals and the bases of the spouts, as well as abstract brushwork to the surface. Incised with the cobalt-highlighted presentation name, "R.G. Simkin", on the left and right sides of the jug. English-born Richard G. Simkin (c. 1822 - 1868), the jug's recipient, owned several hotels in Philadelphia, including the prominent Wetherill Hotel located on Sansom Street in close proximity to Independence Hall. Period documents often list him as "R. G. Simkin", as inscribed on this vessel. It is possible that this jug was on display at one of his hotel bars. Few American stoneware forms are as evocative and expressive as those referred to as "face vessels". Examples produced in the North, South, and Midwest grace the shelves of some of the finest Americana collections in the country, and few native ceramic objects have traversed the pottery arena into the folk art realm like this captivating form. This harvest or monkey jug exhibits classic Remmey family traits, and was produced in Philadelphia by Henry Harrison Remmey or his son, Richard C. Remmey, likely prior to the latter's ascendance as owner of the family enterprise. Consistent with, though unrelated to, other American face vessel masterworks, such as those by Ohio's John Dollings and the slaves of Edgefield, South Carolina, is its open mouth with bared and gritted teeth. Featuring a piercing countenance on both sides, this extremely rare object is possibly the first Remmey example to come to auction since the important John Gordon Sale at Christie's in 1999, in which a broken and reglued jug was sold. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, purchased by the consignor approximately twenty years ago. Loss to mouth and chin on reverse, which occurred in the firing. A few minor chips. H (to top of handle) 7.5". Sold at Crocker Farm March 14, 2015. Estimate: $20,000-30,000 Price Realized: $86,250 | |
| EXCEEDINGLY RARE HALF GALLON STONEWARE JAR WITH ELABORATE INCISED FLORAL DECORATION, Stamped "COERLEARS HOOK" and "N. YORK," Thomas Commeraw, Manhattan, New York, late 18th century, ovoid jar with footed base, heavily-tooled shoulder, and applied vertical handles, the front and reverse featuring a large and finely-executed hanging floral design. Impressed on rim "COERLEARS HOOK" and "N. YORK". Bold cobalt highlights fill the incised decorations and impressed marks, and surround the handle terminals. Pieces bearing the mark "COERLEARS HOOK / N. YORK" are recognized as the finest and earliest works of African-American potter, Thomas Commeraw, who operated a stoneware manufactory on Corlears Hook, Manhattan, New York, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. While the rarity of these jars is a large factor in their desirability, it is also important to realize that pieces bearing this mark are the only signed Commeraw examples with incising executed by the potter's hand. Sometime later, Commeraw would employ his well-known impressed Federal drape motif, reducing the handwork involved and time necessary to decorate his pots. Few "COERLEARS HOOK" examples are known to exist, and this jar is irrefutably the finest we have ever offered. It is the only half-gallon example bearing this maker's mark we have seen, this wonderful, petite size accentuating the large maker's mark and incised designs. It is also one of only two we have offered with vertical handles, an early and highly-prized trait typically found on 18th century American pots. Of interesting note is the use of a three-pronged tool to execute the two central stems of the incised flower. A nearly identical flower with split stem can be found on a larger Coerlears Hook jar, prominently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Few Manhattan stoneware products of this quality are made available at auction. Taking into account the rarity, decorative quality, and early age of this jar, it could arguably be considered the greatest signed work by Thomas Commeraw to ever come to auction. Provenance: Found decades ago in the northeastern U.S. One handle restored. A few restored rim chips, not affecting maker's mark. Three small, unrestored rim chips. A restored flake on interior of rim. An approximately 3.5" hairline from rim. Three base chips. H 7.875". Sold at Crocker Farm March 14, 2015. Estimate: $10,000-15,000 Price Realized: $18,400 | |
| EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND IMPORTANT ONE GALLON STONEWARE JAR WITH IMPRESSED AND COBALT HIGHLIGHTED FEDERAL EAGLE AND INCISED FOLIATE DECORATIONS, Stamped "C. CROLIUS / MANHATTAN, WELLS / NEW-YORK," circa 1800-1815, highly-ovoid jar with squared rim, decorated with an impressed design of a spread-winged eagle atop a stylized mound, above the large, early maker's mark of Clarkson Crolius, Sr. Sides of jar decorated with incised foliate sprigs emanating from a turnip-shaped base. Bright cobalt highlights throughout eagle, impressed maker's mark, and incised decoration. An excellent example of early Manhattan stoneware in all respects, this jar epitomizes America's growing independence as a domestic pottery producer. The impressed eagle on this jar is the first we have seen on an example of Crolius stoneware: a purely-American motif by a member of one of the nation's founding potting families. Possibly the finest signed Crolius jar known. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, recently discovered in the Northeastern U.S. A glazed-over, in-the-firing rim chip, measuring 1.25". Another small chip on exterior of rim and a few small chips on interior of rim. 3" vertical hairline at base, extending 1.75" onto underside. A 1" line at base, visible on interior and only partially visible on exterior, which probably occurred in the firing. A minor in-the-firing chip to underside at edge. H 8.75". Sold at Crocker Farm March 14, 2015. Estimate: $8,000-12,000 Price Realized: $18,400 | |
| POSSIBLY UNIQUE THREE-GALLON STONEWARE CREAM JAR WITH INCISED DECORATION OF A HATTED GENTLEMAN RAISING A GLASS, Dated "1841," Stamped "JOHN. B, CAIRE & CO. / MAIN ST / PO.KEEPSIE, N.Y", Poughkeepsie, NY origin, 1841, highly-ovoid jar with tooled shoulder and applied lug handles, decorated with a folky incised and cobalt-highlighted design of a hatted gentleman man with coat and buttoned shirt, raising a glass, flanked by heavily-leaved plants. Additional slip-trailed floral decoration emanates from the incised foliate designs flanking the figure. Slip-trailed below the figure with the date "1841". Cobalt highlights to maker's mark. This well-potted and wonderfully-decorated jar is believed to be unique. Its inspiration is currently unknown, although the image of a toasting gentleman suggests this jar was made as a celebratory object for an important occassion. A New York State stoneware product of great rarity and decorative appeal. George H. Lukacs, in his authoritative book Poughkeepsie Potters and the Plague, notes that "over the 100 year history of the Poughkeepsie potteries, fewer than a dozen marked examples exist of incised decorated stoneware" (Lukacs, p. 60). Provenance: Found decades ago in the northeastern U.S. A thin curving crack from rim, end at midsection on reverse. A 6.5" sealed hairline from rim on front, extending from a restored rim chip. Chips on interior of rim. H 12.625" ; Diameter (across top) 11". Sold at Crocker Farm March 14, 2015. Estimate: $3,000-5,000 Price Realized: $12,075 | |
| EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND IMPORTANT FIVE-GALLON STONEWARE CREAM JAR WITH COBALT DECORATION OF A MAN'S BUST FLANKED BY WREATH, Stamped "M. & T. MILLER / NEWPORT, PA," circa 1870, ovoid jar with tooled shoulder, flattened rim, and applied lug handles, decorated with a highly unusual design of a well-dressed gentleman with mustache, cravat, lapeled coat, and buttoned shirt, surrounded by a heavily-brushed wreath. Brushed cobalt highlights to handle terminals, maker's mark, and capacity mark. Pieces bearing this iconic figural motif are among the finest products of the Newport, Pennsylvania pottery of Michael and Theophilus Miller. It has been suggested that the distinctive man with mustache and goatee (found on a few select examples of Miller stoneware) may represent one or both of the brothers. This jar exemplifies the exuberance of Miller brushed decoration in the full-bodied wreath, as well as the pottery's artistic abilities with the well-executed figural design. Coupled with this jar's iconic Miller motif is an unusually-large, five-gallon size to the vessel. To our knowledge, this jar is the finest example of Newport, PA stoneware to come to auction since a signed birdhouse was sold through our firm in 2006. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, purchased by the consignor approximately twenty years ago. 4.5" crack on underside, extending 4" up side of jar. A 5.75" crack from rim on reverse. A minor 1.75" crack from rim on right side of jar's front. Some fry to cobalt. A 7/8" in-the-firing rim chip and other lesser rim chips. A small chip to one handle and minor wear to opposite handle. H 13.5". Sold at Crocker Farm March 14, 2015. Estimate: $8,000-12,000 Price Realized: $19,550 | |
| EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND IMPORTANT ONE-GALLON LIDDED STONEWARE JAR WITH COBALT RABBIT DECORATION, Stamped "COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG. PA," circa 1865, cylindrical jar with tall collar and applied lug handles, decorated with a slip-trailed design of a rabbit with large ears, upswept tail, and well-detailed border, reclining on a lawn surrounded by shrubs. Brushed cobalt highlights to maker's mark and handle terminals. Includes salt-glazed lid with tooled edge and mushroom-form finial, presumably original to the jar. The rabbit is one of the rarest native animal designs found on American stoneware. It is most typically found on pieces produced at the Norton and Fenton factory of Bennington, Vermont, circa 1845. Rabbit decorations found on pieces produced at any other pottery are highly unusual. The crisp and artistically-executed design on this jar reveals a probable New York State influence in the shrubwork that surrounds the animal. The use of a slip cup to decorate the jar is unusual, a treatment found on early Harrisburg, PA stoneware products, and some of Cowden & Wilcox's finest designs, including some animals. As noted on this example, the fineness of the rabbit, including its ball-shaped paws, shaded ears, and eyebrow, would be difficult to achieve with the standard use of a brush. It ranks as the finest stoneware product to come to auction in years featuring this iconic creature of the field, a cultural symbol of love, fertility, and spring, often beloved as a child's pet and reviled as a garden pest. Small chips to interior of rim, the largest measuring 3/4". Reverse with sealed J-shaped crack extending from rim to shoulder. A minor U-shaped line at base on side of jar, and a very minor, possibly-in-the-firing base nick. Lid in excellent condition. H (including lid) 10.25". Sold at Crocker Farm March 14, 2015. Estimate: $8,000-12,000 Price Realized: $19,550 | |
| OUTSTANDING AND IMPORTANT FOUR-GALLON STONEWARE JUG WITH PROFUSE COBALT FLOWERING URN DECORATION, Stamped "COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG, PA," circa 1865, ovoid jug with semi-squared spout and applied strap handle, lavishly-decorated with a slip-trailed design of an open-handled urn with pedestal base, brimming with spitting tulips, a large central daisy blossom, oval fruit, and foliate sprays. Base of urn flanked by large leaves and curled trails. Wonderful detail throughout, including spots to central daisy, shaded edges to fruit, and heavily-slip-trailed strokes throughout the urn, which impart a three-dimensional quality to the design. Brushed cobalt highlights to maker's mark, capacity mark, and handle terminals. This jug's exceptional cobalt decoration ranks among the most exuberant of all known Cowden & Wilcox designs. The exquisite flowering urn motif, reminiscent of the artistic designs of Rochester and Lyons, New York, suggest the decoration was executed or inspired by Shem Thomas, a New-York-trained potter who was active at Harrisburg's Filbert Street Pottery for many years. The employment of a slip cup to decorate this jug is unusual, a treatment found on early Harrisburg stoneware products by T.H. Wilson and John Young, as well as some of Cowden & Wilcox's best work. The decoration's grand size, measuring 10" vertically and 11" horizontally, is matched with striking color and the steady hand of a true artist. Few Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, stoneware pieces of this quality are known. Excellent condition with some base chips, one of which occurred in-the-firing and is glazed-over, a minor nick to exterior of spout, and some wear to interior of spout. H 18". Sold at Crocker Farm March 14, 2015. Estimate: $6,000-10,000 Price Realized: $19,550 | |
| EXCEPTIONAL AND IMPORTANT SIX-GALLON STONEWARE CROCK WITH PROFUSE COBALT FLORAL DECORATION, Stamped "F. STETZENMEYER. / ROCHESTER, NY," circa 1850, large-sized, cylindrical crock with tooled shoulder, squared rim, and applied lug handles, profusely-decorated with an oversized flowering plant in slip-trailed cobalt. Design features a three-petaled blossom, a fan-shaped blossom, and two spotted buds, emanating from a leafy base. Outstanding detail throughout, including heavily striped, spotted, and shaded accents throughout, and appealing "bulls-eye" centers to blossoms. Entire decoration features extremely fine, crisp slip-trailing, with an even salt glaze and no fry (a frequent flaw found on Stetzenmeyer stoneware), all set against a whitish clay background. Slip-trailed "6" above. Brushed cobalt highlights to maker's mark. This crock ranks as one of the greatest floral-decorated works by Frederick Stetzenmeyer known, as well as the finest example of stoneware by this iconic Rochester maker to cross the auction block in years. Sealed damage on underside and left side of crock. This damage includes three reglued pieces on left side base area of crock and a 2" x 1/3" sliver missing at base on left side of crock, as well as a crack that extends to the far left edge of the decoration without touching the cobalt. Additionally, a 5.5" hairline from rim on the right side of crock. A glazed-over, in-the-firing flake at base on front. Some light staining on reverse. Sold at Crocker Farm March 14, 2015. Estimate: $6,000-10,000 Price Realized: $18,400 | |
| EXTREMELY RARE TWO-GALLON STONEWARE PITCHER WITH COBALT FLORAL DECORATION, James River, Virginia origin, circa 1820-1830, pitcher with tooling at base of collar and rim, decorated with brushed daisy plant with spotted blossom flanked by foliate sprays. Cobalt highlights to handle terminals. Excellent form and decoration. The distinctive floral motif on this pitcher is related to Baltimore, MD and Alexandria, VA floral designs. It may be related to the work of Baltimore-trained potter, Thomas Amoss, who was active in Richmond during the early 1820s. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example from a Southeastern Virginia collection amassed decades ago. Restored handle. Large restoration to collar on reverse. Additional chips and hairlines to rim. Top-to-bottom spider crack from rim on reverse. Hairlines at base. Small base chips. Sold at Crocker Farm March 14, 2015. Estimate: $400-600 Price Realized: $4,600 | |
| SERPENTINE DESK, MARTINSBURG, VIRGINIA (NOW WEST VIRGINIA), 1801-1808, signed at least five times and inscribed in numerous places including "Shearer Joiner Martinsburg," walnut throughout with yellow pine and oak secondary, interior elaborately fitted with two frieze drawers, each with three shells and false triple fronts centering a removable prospect section, the case with four serpentine long drawers set with original brass bail handles and flanked by stop-fluted quarter columns on robust original ogee bracket feet, 47.625 x 49.75 x 23.75 in., refinished, fallboard likely replaced, otherwise generally good condition, very minor loss at one rear foot, scattered surface wear, some cracks and shrinkage gaps, also inscribed "Rebuilt by E.J. Vilwig, Winchester, Va. 1922" (the rebuilding seems limited to the fallboard as the desk appears to have good integrity otherwise). Notes: Literature: See Elizabeth Davison, [The Furniture of John Shearer, 1790-1820,] catalog number 12. Provenance: Property of the High Museum of Art, sold to benefit the Acquisition Fund Condition: refinished, fallboard likely replaced, otherwise generally good condition, very minor loss at one rear foot, scattered surface wear, some cracks and shrinkage gaps, also inscribed "Rebuilt by E.J. Vilwig, Winchester, Va. 1922" (the rebuilding seems limited to the fallboard as the desk appears to have good integrity otherwise). Sold at Brunk Auctions March 13, 2015. Estimate: $20,000-30,000 Price Realized: $26,000 (Does not include buyer's premium) | |
| ATTRIBUTED TO JUSTUS DALEE (1793-1878), PORTRAIT OF CHARLES C. ROBBINS, 1843, facing right, with dog and book, possibly signed at bottom verso but mostly trimmed, inscribed "6 3/4 by 5 inches/eyes d Brown large short hair brown Paint/ white dress like the piece with green binding/top,bottom and waist complection fair with/good colour, eye brows very light, green on the sleeve…" (bottom line trimmed), watercolor on paper, 6.5 x 5 in.; 19th century gilt wood frame, some toning, and small chipping at bottom edge, inscription verso outlining colors to be used; frame resurfaced. Provenance: Private Collection Condition: some toning, and small chipping at bottom edge, inscription verso outlining colors to be used; frame resurfaced. Sold at Brunk Auctions March 13, 2015. Estimate: $3,000-5,000 Price Realized: $19,000 (Does not include buyer's premium) | |
| NEW ENGLAND RED PAINTED PINE TAVERN TABLE, with an oval top over a shaped apron and ring turned legs joined by strechers. 24" tall x 32" wide. Provenance: From the Estate of Albert M. and Barbara Greenfield, Philadelphia and Glenmoore, PA. Sold at Briggs Auction March 6, 2015. Estimate: $3,000-5,000 Price Realized: $19,000 (Does not include buyer's premium) | |
| | EARLY 1779 JAMES SAYRE POWDER HORN, HORSEHEADS NEW YORK, Depicts New York State Map, 10". Condition: Age crack at end. Sold at Hartzell's Auction March 28, 2015. Estimate: $1,000-2,000 Price Realized: $2,000 (Does not include buyer's premium) |
| LARGE 19TH CENTURY 52 DRAWER APOTHECARY CABINET IN OLD PAINT SURFACE, 7' x 12" x 48" Ht. Provenance: Property of a Salisbury Connecticut home. Sold at Copake Auction March 21, 2015. Estimate: $800-1,200 Price Realized: $3,000 (Does not include buyer's premium) | |
| HAND CARVED PINE TAVERN OR INN ADVERTISING FIGURE, in the form of a jester holding an empty mug and wearing sandals. Fine patina and in very good original condition with only minor surface wear. 36"H. Probably early to mid-19th century. Sold at Hyde Park Country Auctions March 7, 2015. Estimate: $800-1,400 Price Realized: $1,500 (Does not include buyer's premium) | |
| FINE VERY EARLY CA 1730 RARE CONNECTICUT SHORELINE BANNISTER BACK SIDECHAIR WITH HEART AND CROWN CREST, featuring classic turnings & old surface in maple & ash. Sold at Stanton Auctions March 28, 2015. Estimate: $1,400-1,800 Price Realized: $1,700 (Does not include buyer's premium) | |
| VERY FINE QUEEN ANNE CA 1735-1755 SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS HIGHEST QUALITY CUBAN MAHOGANY MID-SIZE DROPLEAF BREAKFAST TABLE, featuring cyma rectangular carved apron & full pad champagne cup feet - 41.25" long. Sold at Stanton Auctions March 28, 2015. Estimate: $6,000-8,000 Price Realized: $4,250 (Does not include buyer's premium) | |
| WONDERFUL AND RARE QUEEN ANNE CA 1750 BOSTON FIGURED WALNUT DRESSING LOWBOY TABLE, featuring rare removable leg variant, original key, champagne cup feet & locks on every drawer - 30.25" case width. Sold at Stanton Auctions March 28, 2015. Estimate: $12,000-18,000 Price Realized: $12,000 (Does not include buyer's premium) | |
| IMPORTANT OUTSTANDING BOSTON CHIPPENDALE HIGHEST QUALITY CARVED CUBAN MAHOGANY PIECRUST TILT-TOP TEA TABLE, featuring U dotted fluted shaft above spiral carved urn atop floral carved Scotia w acanthus carved knees demonstrating fine veining & cross cutting all on rat claw feet of all the rarest of the Eastern Seaboard pie crust tilt top tea tables, the MA form is the most elusive - 31.25" diameter top. Sold at Stanton Auctions March 28, 2015. Estimate: $20,000-30,000 Price Realized: $16,000 (Does not include buyer's premium) | |
| RARE ENGLISH FLINTLOCK FOUR BARREL VOLLEY PISTON WITH ENGRAVED RECEIVER AND MAHOGANY GRIP. These small "duckfoot" handguns were typically used by the British Navy to repel boarders onship. Engraved lettering on side "Hyham". 7" long, 3.75" wide. Sold at Schwenke Auctioneers March 8, 2015. Estimate: $3,000-5,000 Price Realized: $1,700 (Does not include buyer's premium) |
 |  |  |
Colonial Sense is an advocate for global consumer privacy rights, protection and security.
All material on this website © copyright 2009-24 by Colonial Sense, except where otherwise indicated.
ref:T3-S24-P9055-C-M
All material on this website © copyright 2009-24 by Colonial Sense, except where otherwise indicated.
ref:T3-S24-P9055-C-M