Lot #: 173
Price Realized: $862.50
($750 hammer, plus 15% buyer's premium)
PLEASE NOTE: This result is 9 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.
Extremely Rare Rockingham-Glazed Pitcher, Stamped "O.V. LEWIS / GREENWICH," Otto V. Lewis, Greenwich, New York State origin, circa 1850, molded octagonal pitcher with footed base, upswept spout, and molded handle, the surface decorated in an attractive amber-colored glaze streaked over a cream-colored ground. Impressed on underside with the elusive maker's mark of Otto V. Lewis, active at Bald Mountain in the town of Greenwich, NY, circa 1850. Few signed examples of Lewis' work have survived. Lewis' career and three of his finest pieces are discussed in an authoritative article, written by Warren F. Broderick and William C. Ketchum, Jr., entitled "The Potteries of Greenwich and Galesville," which appeared in the March 1989 issue of the Hudson Valley Regional Review. According to this article, two of Lewis' finest signed works are rockinghamware pitchers, one in the collection of the New York State Museum in Albany, NY, and another in the Brooklyn Museum in New York City. Of these pitchers, the authors state, "The molded pitchers have an attractive bi-color glaze of dark brown contrasting the light yellow background and speak highly of the quality of ware produced at this obscure rural location" (Broderick and Ketchum, The Hudson Valley Regional Review, Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 62). This example is arguably one of the rarest and most important rockinghamware pitchers to come to auction in recent years. Provenance: Found decades ago in the northeastern U.S. Very nice condition. A tiny filled base chip and a tiny filled chip on interior of spout, where spout meets rim. Other expected light wear. H 11 3/8".
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