Extremely Rare J. E. SIMONS, Thurmont, MD Redware Plate w/ Manganese Decoration

Spring 2020 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 229

Price Realized: $1,560.00

($1,300 hammer, plus 20% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 4 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.

Spring 2020 Auction Catalog

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Exceedingly Rare Shenandoah Valley Redware Plate, Stamped "J.E. SIMONS," Anthony Weis Bacher at Joseph E. Simons Big Hunting Creek Pottery, Mechanicstown (now Thurmont), MD, circa 1881-1883, wheel-thrown plate with semi-rounded rim, the interior decorated with heavy drips of manganese and covered in a clear lead glaze. Impressed with "J.E. SIMONS" stamp on reverse. Revered Shenandoah Valley master potter, Anthony Weis Bacher, was the primary employee at Mechanicstown's Big Hunting Creek Pottery, while it was under the brief ownership of coachmaker, Joseph E. Simons. A small number of surviving pieces in Bacher's style and attributed to his hand bear the elusive stamp, "J.E. SIMONS." Few impressed Simons pieces are known, and only two other examples, an unglazed jar and glazed pitcher, have ever been offered by this auction house. Of particular note is the extreme rarity of this form in Shenandoah Valley redware production. Very few signed redware plates are known from the region, outside of the Bells' shop in Waynesboro, PA. A handful of redware plates have surfaced bearing the marks of Solomon Bell and S. Bell & Sons. To our knowledge, no other plate has been documented bearing a maker's stamp associated with Anthony Bacher. Excellent condition with a 3/4" rim chip and very minor surface wear to interior. Diam. 9 3/4".