J. MILLER / ALEX (James Miller, Alexandria, VA) Stoneware Jar

July 17, 2004 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 271

Price Realized: $10,450.00

($9,500 hammer, plus 10% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 20 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.

Auction Highlight: July 17, 2004 Auction | Alexandria / DC Stoneware

July 17, 2004 Auction Catalog

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Very Rare and Important Three-Gallon Ovoid Stoneware Jar, Stamped "J. MILLER / ALEX," Alexandria, Virginia, circa 1824-26, ovoid form with rounded collar, large tab ears, and shoulder incising. Brush-decorated on the front with a large "3" in cobalt script with additional cobalt encompassing each handle. Potter James Miller spent his early years working at the Alexandria pottery shops of Henry Piercy and Lewis Plumb. He became the first recorded stoneware potter within the limits of today"s District of Columbia when he opened his Georgetown shop circa 1820; he would later establish a stoneware and redware pottery in Alexandria, circa 1824. Only a handful of signed James Miller products have surfaced. These include redware sugar jar sherds from the Moore-McLean Sugar House in Alexandria and some stoneware vessels. Largest signed Miller vessel known, and clearest impression of mark. Remarkable, near mint condition. Height 13 1/2". Literature: Brandt & Mark Zipp, "James Miller: Lost Potter of Alexandria, Virginia" in Ceramics in America 2004.