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 February, 2017 | 13 Items | April, 2017  |
| BLUE AND PURPLE RAINBOW SPATTER IRONSTONE CHINA OPEN VEGETABLE BOWL. 8.25"w. Condition: Very good. Sold at Conestoga Auction March 25, 2017 Estimate: $100-200 Price Realized: $767 | |
| 19TH CENTURY CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN VASE. The body of globular form rising to a tall neck flared at the rim, the body designed with a band of scrolling lotus above a lappet border at the foot and below a cloud collar border and scrolling foliate band at the shoulder, the neck with an upright leaf border below a cloud collar band and wave band at the rim. 15.5"h. Accompanied with a later carved rosewood stand. Provenance: Purchased at Christie's East, New York, March 20, 2000, "Asian Decorative Arts" Auction #8351. Collection of Ms. S. Abeles. Condition: Base drilled for use as a lamp and re-filled with epoxy, obscuring the mark, otherwise very good. Sold at Conestoga Auction March 25, 2017 Estimate: $800-1,200 Price Realized: $11,800 | |
| | PENNSYLVANIA 1830 GERMAN AND ENGLISH VORSCHRIFT BOOK. Title page signed Christian Frederich Helener. 19 pages with various works. Good with minor wear and foxing. Provenance: Lester Breininger Estate. Sold at Conestoga Auction March 25, 2017 Estimate: $1,000-1,500 Price Realized: $4,130 |
| | EXTREMELY FINE JONAS WEBER PAINTED PINE TRINKET BOX. (Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1810-1876). Yellow ground with 3.5 story salmon and blue house flanked by trees, green, and red foreground. Lid and sides adorned with large polychrome stylized tulips. Beaded edge lid with wire hinges and tin hasp. Case with pegged construction and molded base with carved and applied feet. This is the largest yellow ground Weber box with a rare 3.5 story house known. Fresh to the market, never offered for public sale. 3 generation in the same family who acquired it from the Fivepointville area. 6"h. x 10"w. x 5.875"d. Condition: Very good, top has been lightly cleaned, minor restoration to feet. No in painting other than to feet. Sold at Conestoga Auction March 25, 2017 Estimate: $30,000-50,000 Price Realized: $82,600 |
| DOUBLE-SIDED SCROLLED WROUGHT IRON AND WOOD TRADE SIGN, "L. Blakely". 50"h. x 47"w. Condition: Good with wear. Condition: Good with wear. Sold at Conestoga Auction March 25, 2017 Estimate: $800-1,200 Price Realized: $4,425 | |
| SOMERSET COUNTY FEDERAL DUTCH CUPBOARD WITH RED PAINT. Cove molded cornice, two six pane glazed doors with central three pane panel. Open pie shelf, molded top, three split dovetailed drawers, two lower raised panel doors, with central raised panel, molded base with bracket feet. Similar forms of this cupboard are attributed to and signed by Soap Hollow cupboards. 88/5"h. x 70"w. x 21"d. Condition: Very good with minor wear. Sold at Conestoga Auction March 25, 2017 Estimate: $8,000-12,000 Price Realized: $17,700 | |
| IMPORTANT AND POSSIBLY UNIQUE FIVE-GALLON STONEWARE PITCHER, with Lavish Slip-Trailed Cobalt Decoration, Baltimore, MD origin, possibly Henry Remmey, Sr., circa 1820, monumental, ovoid-bodied pitcher with footed base, narrow collar accented with tooled lines, and heavily-ribbed handle. Decorated around the body with an artistic slip-trailed vine design bearing graduated leaves and clusters of grapes or berries, meeting at the lower handle terminal on the reverse. Slip-trailed wavy line decoration above. Collar decorated with a slip-trailed wavy line and drape design below a second vine design bearing leaves and four-petaled flowers. Reverse decorated below the handle with a slip-trailed grape cluster motif emanating from a series of graduated leaves. Heavy cobalt highlights to handle terminals. Collar impressed "5". This stately work epitomizes the Baltimore style of the 1820s in its artistic slip-trailed decoration, bold color, and elegant form. Pieces of this quality would set the standard for Southern stoneware production during the time period, influencing potteries in Virginia and South Carolina. While its maker cannot be verified, the four-petaled floral motif at the shoulder is most often associated with the New-York-trained potter, Henry Remmey, Sr., who arrived in Baltimore by 1812. A distinctive fern-like motif emanating from two circular designs, seen on this pitcher's large vine decoration, appears to follow antecedent, incised stoneware from Manhattan, further supporting a Remmey attribution. This work is important in its artistry and large size. It is one of the largest American stoneware pitchers known, only outsized by a few iconic works; these include the Harrington & Burger hound-handled eagle pitcher in the Weitsman Collection at the New York State Museum in Albany, NY and the "Adam Wipfield" Baltimore pitcher at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, MD. Both are considered storefront display pieces. This earlier five-gallon example may have also served as a display piece in a shop window, given its weight when full. Other than its grand size and beautifully-executed decoration, of particular note is its raised, enamel-like cobalt, which retains a brilliant luster. The cobalt application and its firing are truly remarkable. Despite the thickness of the application, no dryness or bubbling to the cobalt slip was created during the firing. The decoration remains glossy and highly appealing, perhaps the finest execution of slip-trailing we have seen on a piece of Baltimore stoneware. Provenance: Ex-Robert Hunter, Yorktown, VA. Condition: Tight lines throughout body and handle. A glazed-over spout chip. A pre-firing chip to base, which was brushed over with cobalt by the decorator. H 18". Sold at Crocker Farms March 25, 2017. Estimate: $15,000-30,000 Price Realized: $31,860 | |
| EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND IMPORTANT MULTI-GLAZED REDWARE RING BOTTLE ATTRIBUTED TO RUDOLPH CHRIST, Salem, NC origin, late 18th or early 19th century, ring-shaped bottle with attached footed base and pouring spout with semi-rounded mouth, the open midsection surrounded by two incised lines. Surface covered in a heavy, cream-colored slip, decorated with sponged copper and manganese, and covered in a clear lead glaze. This bottle is one of three intact examples of the form known in the work of North Carolina's Moravian potters, its striking glaze, modeled after English wares by Thomas Whieldon, and body style distinctive to this school of artisans. A significant recent discovery in Southern ceramics. Provenance: A recently-surfaced example, which descended in the family of the consignor. Family history indicates this bottle was used during the Civil War by a soldier from Illinois. Literature: For discussion of this form, see Hunter and Erickson, "Making a Moravian Faience Ring Bottle", Ceramics in America 2009. For a photo of the second intact example of this form, a smaller copper-glazed ring bottle, see Hunter and Erickson, fig. 18. Condition: Base chips. Tight lines to base and interior of open center. Two small pieces of clay adhered to body during the firing. Typical minor spout wear. A .625" surface flake to reverse. A small chip to opening at center. H 7". Sold at Crocker Farms March 25, 2017. Estimate: $4,000-6,000 Price Realized: $18,880 | |
| RARE AND IMPORTANT ALKALINE-GLAZED STONEWARE FACE JUG, with Kaolin Eyes and Teeth, Edgefield, SC origin, circa 1845-1860, ovoid jug with semi-squared spout, the front decorated with a hand-modeled and applied clay face including a large mouth with kaolin teeth, pronounced nose with depressed nostrils, single curving eyebrow, large ears, and pierced eyes set into wide lids, brushed with kaolin slip. Surface covered in an appealing, light-green alkaline glaze over a light, buff-colored clay ground. This recently-surfaced work is regarded as the finest among a group of four Edgefield examples collected in New York State during the 1970s, the first three having been sold through Crocker Farm in 2015 and 2016. This example features exceptional sculpting to the face, including a prominent Roman nose with narrow bridge, depressed and manipulated cheek structure, large ears, and deeply-carved teeth. The construction of the figure's eyes is likewise extraordinary. Normally, eyes are conveyed in the Edgefield school as circular pieces of kaolin girded between two lids which partially conceal the eyeball. The lids typically serve as a means of girding the eyes against the wall of the vessel. This jug, however, features large, flattened lids with smaller eyeballs set inside, produced from the same clay as the jug, and washed over with kaolin slip. This detail leads to another interesting aspect of the jug, as it utilizes two different types of kaolin application; while the teeth are applied in pure kaolin, the eyes are loosely brushed over with kaolin slip. The jug's form, light-green glaze, and quality of workmanship, suggest that it may have been made early in the Edgefield District's foray into face jug production, possibly predating the arrival of the Wanderer slaves. While many Edgefield face vessels exhibit a naive quality, the superior craftsmanship of this example indicates a true artist familiar with hand-modeling, sculpting, and the techniques involved in creating this coveted Southern folk art form. An old red crayon notation of unknown meaning on the underside reads "100", and is crossed out with black pen or pencil. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, consigned from the same source as lot 209 in our October 17, 2015 auction, lot 354 in our March 19, 2016 auction, and lot 443 in our October 22, 2016 auction. Condition: This face jug survives in remarkable, excellent condition with a minor nick to one eyebrow and a shallow 1.125" flake to one ear, created when the jug touched another object during the firing. H 6.75". Sold at Crocker Farms March 25, 2017. Estimate: $20,000-30,000 Price Realized: $47,200 | |
| IMPORTANT LARGE-SIZED ALKALINE-GLAZED STONEWARE JAR, Incised "Dave / August 12. 1851 / Lm", Dave at Lewis Miles' Stony Bluff Manufactory, Edgefield District, SC, 1851, rotund jar with flared rim and applied lug handles, the surface covered in an appealing green alkaline glaze. Incised across the front shoulder with the inscription, "august 12. 1851 / Dave", and on the reverse with the initials, "Lm", along with two slash marks. Measuring approximately eight gallons in capacity and featuring a classic form employed by the enslaved African-American potter, this jar was made somewhat earlier than most of Dave's signed work. It features a finely-penned Dave signature, one which would become hastier as time progressed. Its inscribed initials, "Lm", appear on the reverse instead of the front, an unusual treatment among signed Dave examples. Fingerprints at the base of the jar, created when the jar was glazed, were possibly left by Dave himself. One handle professionally restored. A few short lines to rim area. Other tight lines to body of jar, all of which are probably in the surface only, as they do not appear to extend through to the interior. These include an inverted 6.5" T-shaped line extending up from base on side of jar. Two in-the-firing surface flakes, measuring 1.375" and 1.125". A minor rim nick. A base chip and minor base nick. Some flakes to interior base. H 17.5". Sold at Crocker Farms March 25, 2017. Estimate: $6,000-10,000 Price Realized: $17,700 | |
| EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND IMPORTANT MINIATURE STONEWARE JUG, with Scrolled Handle and Slip-Trailed Cobalt Foliate and Watchspring Motifs, Incised "S+", attributed to Adam States, Sr., Manhattan, NY, circa 1745, ovoid jug with three incised lines to shoulder, tooled spout with semi-rounded lip, and delicate strap handle with highly-unusual scrolled terminal. Decorated on the front with thickly-slip-trailed foliate motif and around the lower handle terminal with watchsprings. Incised on side of jug with the abbreviation, "S+". An additional, lightly-incised watchspring-like design is covered in the slip-trailed design on the jug's front. This outstanding recent discovery is closely-related to two other pieces carrying Adam States attributions. The first is a miniature jug, sold in our March 5, 2011 auction, which lacks the incised lettering and scrolled handle, but shares a similar form and cobalt decoration. The second is a small spouted vessel, similarly-decorated and also featuring a distinctive scrolled handle, bearing the inscription, "Elizabeth States her pot", along with incised initials "E+SAS". It is believed that States made the spouted pot for his wife, Elizabeth, between 1743 and 1746, while active in Manhattan, NY. States later established a long-standing pottery in Greenwich, CT, which was managed upon his death in the 1760s by an apprentice, Abraham Mead (Goldberg, Warwick, and Warwick, Ceramics in America 2008, p. 35). Today, Mead is recognized among scholars as one of the most skilled and well-documented 18th century American stoneware potters. His work often employed watchspring motifs emanating from a vessel's handle terminals, as found on the few surviving Adam States pieces, including this jug. This jug is important on a number of levels, beyond its wonderful size and strong decorative appeal. Based on its clear link to the Elizabeth States pouring vessel, it can be considered one of the earliest intact pieces of American stoneware known. The idea that this work possibly predates the watchspring pieces of Captain James Morgan and Abraham Mead by thirty to fifty years is remarkable. Its delicately-scrolled handle serves as a key link, not only to the inscribed States pot, but also to stoneware products of the Old World. Establishing a clear connection between the European stoneware tradition and pieces produced in America by immigrant potting families is often a difficult one. This jug's scrolled handle, however, reveals the strong influence of 18th century Westerwald stoneware. This consignment, along with the example sold in March 5, 2011, are two of the smallest intact 18th century stoneware products recorded. The incised signature, "S+", on this piece, no doubt referring to "States", also makes it one of the earliest examples of intact American stoneware bearing any form of signature. Provenance: Recently discovered in New Jersey. Literature: For more information on Adams States and related 18th century stoneware potters, see Goldberg, Warwick, and Warwick, "The Eighteenth-Century New Jersey Stoneware Potteries of Captain James Morgan and the Kemple Family," Ceramics in America 2008, pp. 33-35. This jug survives in remarkable, essentially as-made condition. H 4.25". Sold at Crocker Farms March 25, 2017. Estimate: $5,000-8,000 Price Realized: $35,580 | |
| EXTREMELY RARE TWO-GALLON STONEWARE JAR, with Incised and Impressed Floral and Eagle Motifs, Stamped "C. CROLIUS / MANHATTAN, WELLS / NEW-YORK", Clarkson Crolius, Sr., Manhattan, NY early 19th century, ovoid jar with footed base and open loop handles, decorated under each handle with an impressed and cobalt-highlighted design of a spread-winged eagle standing on a mound. Impressed on the front with the cobalt-highlighted maker's mark, "C. CROLIUS", and on the reverse with the remainder of the mark, "MANHATTAN-WELLS / NEW-YORK". Decorated below these stamps on the front and reverse with an impressed design of a flower blossom surrounded by incised leaves, all highlighted in cobalt slip. Additional cobalt highlights to the handle terminals. This jar is one of two Crolius examples we have seen with an impressed eagle motif. The rarity and decorative appeal of this work is compounded by the impressed and incised floral motifs appearing on the front and reverse. Additionally, the stamping of sections of the maker's mark on opposing sides of the jar, as opposed to the entire mark being impressed on the front, is a highly unusual treatment for this maker. This work's four-sided decoration, which incorporate the elusive eagle motif, rank it among the finest signed Crolius jars known. Its eagle designs reveal a growing sense of nationalism for the young country and boldly profess America's independence as a stoneware producer. Provenance: Robert Meltzer Collection. Condition: This jar survives in remarkable, excellent condition with a very minor post-firing base nick and minor in-the-firing flaws typical of stoneware of this age and origin. H 12". Sold at Crocker Farms March 25, 2017. Estimate: $5,000-7,000 Price Realized: $31,860 | |
| IMPORTANT AND POSSIBLY UNIQUE ONE-GALLON STONEWARE SYRUP JUG, with Incised Fish Decoration, Stamped "C. CROLIUS / MANUFACTURER. / NEW-YORK", early 19th century, squat-shaped jug with tooled shoulder and spout, the front decorated with an incised and cobalt-highlighted design of a fish with large eye, fin details, and a scallop-edged tail. Brushed cobalt highlights to maker's mark and handle terminals. While a small number of unsigned Manhattan stoneware products have survived with incised fish designs, this jug is the first signed example from this city we have seen. AS such, it may serve as a rosetta stone of sorts for attributing unsigned pieces with fish decorations to the Crolius shop. The squat form of the jug, unusual in the Crolius family's work, suggests it may have been made to hold syrup, an idea corroborated by the smell of molasses emanating from the spout. To our knowledge, only two figural-decorated examples of signed Clarkson Crolius stoneware are known: this fish jug and a bird-decorated jug, sold as lot 49 in our November 3, 2007 auction. Provenance: Robert Meltzer Collection. Condition: Excellent condition with two small base chips, some minuscule base nicks, a smooth, glazed-over in-the-firing contact mark to front, a small piece of adhered clay to right side, and two small stone pings. H 10". Sold at Crocker Farms March 25, 2017. Estimate: $5,000-7,000 Price Realized: $18,880 |
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