Rare DANIEL JOHNSON & CO. / LUMBER STREET / N. YORK Stoneware Oyster Jar by Thomas Commeraw

October 22, 2016 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 176

Price Realized: $2,875.00

($2,500 hammer, plus 15% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 8 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 22, 2016 Auction Catalog

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Very Rare Small-Sized Stoneware Oyster Jar, Stamped "DANIEL / JOHNSON. AND. Co No 27 / LUMBER STREET / N. YORK", attributed to Thomas Commeraw, Corlears Hook, Manhattan, NY, circa 1805, cylindrical jar with recessed rim molding, featuring the impressed advertising, "DANIEL / JOHNSON. AND. Co No 27 / LUMBER STREET / N. YORK". Jars of this type have strong historical significance, as they are some of the earliest examples of American stoneware advertising. Jars bearing the name "DANIEL JOHNSON & CO" were made for the prominent African-American oysterman, Daniel Johnson, by the African-American potter, Thomas Commeraw. Commeraw's oyster jars have been found as far south as South America, indicating their use on ships that traveled the Atlantic coast. This example is one of the smallest that we have seen. The stamp, "N. YORK", at the base, includes a lighter impression in which the stamp is accidentally reversed. In addition, while many Commeraw oyster jars are found with moderate to significant damage, this example survives in an extraordinary state of preservation. Remarkable, essentially as-made condition with two minor, in-the-firing base chips, which are glazed over. H 5 3/8".