Very Rare Baltimore Stoneware Jar w/ Horse Head and Eye Decorations, c1850

July 18, 2015 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 457

Price Realized: $1,380.00

($1,200 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.

July 18, 2015 Auction Catalog

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Very Rare Two-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Horse Head and Eye Decorations, Baltimore, MD origin, circa 1850, ovoid jar with squared rim and applied tab handles, decorated underneath one handle with a brushed cobalt horse head, and under the opposite handle with brushed eye and eyebrow. Front and reverse of jar with elaborate two-stemmed flowering plant designs. Additional cobalt highlights to the handle terminals. Few example of figural-decorated stoneware from Baltimore are known. While meaning of the horse head decoration on this jar is unknown, it may have some relevance to Maryland's great agricultural and equestrian heritage. The eye under the opposite handle is possibly linked to the "all-seeing eye" associated with the fraternal organizations, including the Freemasons and Odd Fellows. Excellent, essentially as-made condition with an in-the-firing stone ping at base, a few minor, glazed-over to interior of rim, and one small glazed-over chip to handle.