Setting a record, the auction's top lot was this keg-form stoneware water cooler from Albany, N.Y., that attained $103,500.
:Hidden away in the deep South for more than two decades, an upstate New York water cooler made a stellar showing at Crocker Farm's March 21 auction, as the first lot of around 300 lots of American stoneware and redware to cross the block.
Longtime stoneware collector Leigh Keno snapped up the cooler for $103,500 after heavy bidding. It had been conservatively estimated at $20/30,000.
The keg-form cooler is only 12¾ inches tall, and measures about 2 gallons. Adorned with fine incised and cobalt-filled animal decorations in two places on the front; a long-faced fish faces a long-billed bird with crested head. Below this design, a second, shorter-billed bird is met by a differently styled fish with an open, multi-toothed mouth. In both instances, the bird appears to be pecking or "kissing" the fish's head. Six impressed and cobalt-brushed rosettes form an arc above the hexagonal bunghole.
"This piece is a record price for a stoneware specialty auction. It was definitely one of the finest pieces we have ever handled, but we try to keep our estimates conservative," said Tony Zipp. "We had six very serious bidders on the phones and several people in the room who were interested in it. Bidding came down to a Midwestern collector and Leigh Keno."
The top lot among redware was a glazed figure of a lion believed to be of Pennsylvania origin and dating to the third quarter of the Nineteenth Century. With exceptional condition and a highly detailed expressive face, the lion roared all the way to $15,525.
The piece was stamped "Boynton" and incised "Albany," perhaps leading the former owner to conclude the piece was made in Albany, Ga., when it was really made in Albany, N.Y. Brothers Calvin and Jonah Boynton operated their pottery on Washington Street in Albany.
A late addition to the sale that didn't make it into the catalog proved to be another star of the auction. A rare Virginia stoneware plantation jar incised "Smith/Airville/Va" fetched $14,950. The 3-gallon ovoid jar, circa 1820–30, is decorated with a sweeping stem of leaves and flowers and reflects an important new discovery in the study of Baltimore and Virginia stoneware. The jar is believed to have been made in Baltimore for use on the Airville Plantation of Gloucester, Va., according to the auction house.
Redware is always a strong performer at Crocker Farm auctions, and the top lot of this category was a glazed redware figure of a lion believed to be of Pennsylvania origin and dating to the third quarter of the Nineteenth Century. With exceptional condition and a highly detailed expressive face, the lion roared all the way to $15,525.
Other redware standouts included a Shenandoah Valley syrup jug incised A.W. Bacher, circa 1880, from Winchester, Va., that brought $7,705 and a small redware jug with a vibrant green copper glaze, Bristol Co., Massachusetts, origin, at $4,887. The late Eighteenth Century or early Nineteenth Century ovoid jar had a rounded foot, open strap handles and incised banding around the shoulder.
A late addition to the sale was a rare Virginia stoneware plantation jar that fetched $14,950. The 3-gallon ovoid jar, decorated with a sweeping stem of leaves and flowers, is believed to have been made in Baltimore for use on the Airville Plantation of Gloucester, Va.
New York State offerings were led by a 2-gallon stoneware jug with an elaborate bird perched in a wreath of leaves decoration, stamped "Jordan," circa 1850, that went out at $7,935.
A standout among cobalt-decorated pieces was a rare 2-gallon batter pail with cobalt grapes and leaf decoration that was stamped "Cowden & Wilcox/Harrisburg, Pa." The circa 1865 piece from a 30-year New Jersey collection achieved $8,855.
Other cobalt highlights included a rare ovoid jar with bold cobalt foliate decoration and the slip-trailed date of 1836 under one handle, from makers John and James Miller, Strasburg, Va., and a 2-gallon vertical-handled jar with watch spring decoration, attributed to Captain James Morgan, circa 1775, Cheesequake, N.J. Both lots fetched $7,590 each.
Several fine examples of B.C. Milburn, Alexa (Alexandria, Va.) stoneware, circa 1850, included a half-gallon jar with slip-trailed cobalt floral and chain link decoration that sold for $4,255, a 2-gallon straight-sided jar with sunflower decoration at $2,070, a 1-gallon jar with cobalt floral decoration at $2,645 and a half-gallon jar with elaborate cobalt floral decoration for $2,300.
Another redware standout was this Shenandoah Valley syrup jug, incised A.W. Bacher, circa 1880, from Winchester, Va., that brought $7,705. Making its auction debut, the jug had descended in the Bacher family to the consignor.
Another Virginia standout was a small ovoid jar with a narrow base and cobalt floral decoration, attributed to John D. Heatwole or Emanuel Suter of Dry River, Va., circa 1851, that brought $4,715.
Soaring above its $800–$1,200 estimate was a rare stoneware presentation bank with an incised bird and the date, 1812, that realized $5,980. The bank from Connecticut was accompanied by documentation that said it was made by a potter near New London, Conn., for his grandson, Michael Qwansetter Williams, whose initials are reverse incised on the top of the bank.
All prices reported include the 15 percent buyer's premium. Call 410-337-5090 or visit www.crockerfarm.com for information.
