Very Rare Edwin Bennett, Baltimore, MD Rockingham Ware Marine Pitcher

Fall 2020 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 133

Price Realized: $1,080.00

($900 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.

Fall 2020 Auction Catalog

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Very Rare Rockingham Marine Pitcher, attributed to E. & W. Bennett, Baltimore, MD, mid 19th century, molded pitcher featuring Chesapeake Bay sea life in relief, including fish-head-form spout, a central blue crab, and various full-bodied fish, and snail, clam, and mussel shells, the handle in the form of a winged sea serpent. Surface covered in a mottled amber-to-brown Rockingham glaze. Among the most ambitious and ingenious forms in all of American rockinghamware, this pitcher was created by Staffordshire-trained mold maker, Charles Coxon (1805-1868), for the Bennetts using local sea creatures molded from life. This example features the distinctive Bennett Rockingham glaze, considered rarer on this form than the surviving blue-clayed examples. No signed examples in this glaze are known. Also of note, the sea serpent handle was made without the added feet seen on the blue-clayed examples. A captivating form illustrating the rich maritime history of Baltimore. Some restoration to spout and rim. Areas of restoration to shells at base. A 1 1/4" shallow restored chip to underside. Crazing to underside, forming a short vertical crack at base. A short hairline to upper handle terminal. Two short hairlines from rim. Some flaking to restoration varnish. H 10 1/2".