Anthony Baecher Shenandoah Redware Holy Water Font w/ Applied Cross

January 30, 2010 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 137

Price Realized: $14,950.00

($13,000 hammer, plus 15% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 14 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: January 30, 2010 Auction | Shenandoah Pottery | Southern Redware

January 30, 2010 Auction Catalog

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Possibly Unique Shenandoah Valley Redware Stoup with Applied Decorations, Signed in Script "Anthony Bacher / 1882," wheel-thrown, cup-shaped vessel attached to an oval slab. Base of stoup with applied melon-shaped ornamentation. Slab with hand-modeled and applied cross surrounded by intricate vine and flower blossom decorations. Original hole for hanging near top. Surface covered in a vibrant, marbled manganese glaze over cream-colored slip. Clear lead overglaze. Incised on reverse "Anthony W. Bacher / 1882". Bacher, a devout Catholic, likely made this stoup for a local church. However, the alleged history of the piece suggests it may have never seen use in a church. It was reportedly gifted by Bacher to a potter living in Southern Pennsylvania. The stoup descended in the potter's family and was eventually sold at an auction of their estate in the 1980's. A finely-glazed and ornamented example of Bacher pottery, surviving in excellent condition. Literature: Pictured in H.E. Comstock's The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region, p. 177, fig. 4.275. Flecks of glaze loss to edge and to a few flowers. H 8".