Extremely Rare H.R. MARSHALL (Baltimore) Stoneware Jar, circa 1822

Spring 2021 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 207

Price Realized: $1,440.00

($1,200 hammer, plus 20% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 3 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 2021 Auction Catalog

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Extremely Rare Two-Gallon Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Jar, Stamped "H.R. MARSHALL.," Hugh Robbins Marshall, Baltimore, MD origin, circa 1822, cylindrical jar with rounded shoulder and semi-rounded rim, impressed with the cobalt-highlighted maker's mark, "H.R. MARSHALL" at shoulder. Decorated on the right side of the jar with a spotted grape cluster motif related to other early Baltimore designs. Impressed on the right side with a two-gallon capacity mark surrounded by a cobalt highlight. The placement of the decoration and capacity mark on the left and right sides of the jar, as opposed to the front and reverse, is unusual in American stoneware. Hugh R. Marshall learned the potter's trade in Baltimore from Thomas Morgan and briefly conducted his own pottery on Liberty Street circa 1822. During this time, it is likely that Marshall was operating at the shop of William Amoss, while Amoss was in Richmond, Virginia tending to the estate of his deceased brother, the Baltimore and Richmond potter, Thomas Amoss. Marshall was later associated with Elisha Parr's pottery on Pitt Street. Among the rarest Southern or Mid-Atlantic maker's marks that we are aware of, with roughly five intact pieces bearing this stamp known. Marshall has gained notoriety in recent years with the discovery of a pottery he established in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1831. This site, which was also occupied by the Cornwall, NY-trained potter, Francis Hamilton Bell, yielded sherds bearing the stamp, "H.R. MARSHALL / Fred'g, Va." Additionally, later sherds excavated at the Rockbridge Baths Pottery in Rockbridge County, Virginia bearing the incised inscription, "Hugh Marshall / Factor" and "Hugh Marshall / Manufactor" indicate his involvement in a third operation. Recent research also indicates Marshall operated a pottery in Lynchburg, VA. Together, this evidence suggests that Marshall was a highly-active and possibly influential potter, despite a paucity of signed work. An important example of Baltimore stoneware with strong connections to Virginia stoneware schools. Provenance: Recently surfaced in California. Crack across underside (faint on interior), extending 2 1/4" onto base on one side. A 3 1/2" vertical hairline near base on exterior, which is visible as a 6 1/2" line on interior. A faint 1 1/2" in-the-firing surface line at base, which is glazed over and not visible on interior. An approximately 6" extremely faint horizontal spider line at base, not visible on the interior. H 13".