Very Rare W. NICHOLS / PO'KEEPSIE Decorated Stoneware Jar, Poughkeepsie, NY, circa 1823

October 17, 2015 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 177

Price Realized: $1,265.00

($1,100 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.

October 17, 2015 Auction Catalog

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Very Rare One-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "W. NICHOLS / PO'KEEPSIE", New York State origin, circa 1823, ovoid jar with footed base, flared collar, and applied lug handles, decorated with a leafy vine bearing a large circular flower blossom highlighting the impressed maker's mark of Poughkeepsie, NY potter, William Nichols. Reverse with brushed cobalt "X" at shoulder. Cobalt accents to handle terminals. According to George H. Lukacs' book, Poughkeepsie Potters and the Plague, Nichols began stamping his ware with his own maker's mark upon acquiring his own pottery site in July of 1823. This mark would be used for only a few months, ending with the potter's untimely death on September 29, 1823, at the age of 25. (Lukacs, pp. 50-53.) Among the numerous Nichols stoneware objects in existence, very few signed examples are known. This jar is potted in a desirable one-gallon size and features classic decoration distinctive to this potter's hand. Excellent condition with only minor flaws: very minor base wear, a tiny glazed-over iron ping to base, a small chip to top of rim, and a few very tiny rim nicks.