H.C. SMITH / ALEXA / D.C. (Alexandria, VA) Stoneware Crock

July 17, 2010 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 212

Price Realized: $1,380.00

($1,200 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.

July 17, 2010 Auction Catalog

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Rare and Very Fine Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Profuse Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "H.C. SMITH / ALEXA / D.C.," circa 1835, ovoid jar with tooled shoulder, semi-rounded rim, and arching tab handles, cobalt-decorated on the front with a top-to-bottom flowering plant bearing numerous leaves and six fan-shaped flower blossoms. A smaller blossom is brushed between two swags at the center. The fan-shaped floral motif found on this jar is very rare in Smith stoneware, and may be the decorator's response to similar designs produced at the potteries of Henry Myers and the Perine family in Baltimore. The reverse is decorated with three tulip plants, which are also highly unusual for Smith stoneware. This jar is one of the most boldly-decorated examples of H.C. Smith stoneware we have seen. An exceptional example. An unobtrusive 5/8" x 1/8" filled hole on exterior reverse, which leads to a much larger filled area on the inside, which is not visible on the exterior. Otherwise mint condition. H 11 3/4".