Very Rare JOHN BELL / WAYNESBORO Lead-Glazed Stoneware Pitcher

March 24, 2018 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 323

Price Realized: $649.00

($550 hammer, plus 18% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 6 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.

March 24, 2018 Auction Catalog

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Very Rare One-Gallon Lead-Glazed Stoneware Pitcher with Cobalt Floral Decoration, Stamped "JOHN BELL / WAYNESBORO'", PA origin, circa 1850-1880, ovoid pitcher with tooled rim and slip-coated surface, the body decorated with two spotted tulips extending from a series of swags, flanking a cross-shaped flower blossom. Collar decorated with four swag motifs. Handle decorated with cobalt brushwork, along with large swag designs emanating from the base of the handle. Surface covered in a clear lead or alkaline glaze. Collar impressed with John Bell maker's mark above a one-gallon capacity mark. The outstanding, high-gloss glaze treatment on this pitcher, when found on cobalt-decorated stoneware, is considered rare in the work of John Bell. The rarity and value of this piece is compounded by its pitcher form, one of the most highly-prized and most difficult-to-find production items in John Bell stoneware. This lot is the first John Bell pitcher glazed in this manner that we ever offered. Large broken and reglued sections to reverse and one side, with professional restoration and coloring along crack lines. Handle broken off at the terminals, with restoration along crack lines.