Exceedingly Rare and Important Glazed Redware Inkstand with Dog Finial, Signed "Made by / John Grady / 1866," Shanksville, Somerset County, PA, 1866, slab-built, oblong form with elaborate elliptical pierced-work flanked by relief-carved sawtoothed decoration. Additional sawtoothed carving to corners. Pen tray with coggled edge and rope-twist handles culminating in faux screw heads. Hand-modeled standing dog finial with applied coleslaw hair. Inkstand rests on four hand-modeled paw feet with incised toes. Includes original removable inkwell and sander. Surface of stand, well, and sander decorated with a mottled lead-and-manganese glaze, featuring bright color and luster. Underside incised with the signature, "Made by / John Grady / 1866." This delicate work exhibits a high level of craftsmanship in its pierced-work body, relief jagged carving, rope-twist handles, paw feet, and coleslaw-furred dog. The survival of its original well and sander is noteworthy, as these fragile inserts are often lost. Few examples of Western Pennsylvania redware of this quality are known, pieces by members of the Grady and Swank families representing the most artistic produced in the entire region. A related inkstand by John's father, Henry, was sold in Crocker Farm's Kelly Young Sale, January 30, 2010, lot 130. Provenance: Collection of Lewis Fenley "Dusty" Parker. Very nice condition for this form. Loss to tail of dog, loss to one of the inkstand's paw feet, and some other, very minor wear. A small chip to bottom edge of sander and a minor nick to rim of sander. L 5 3/8" ; W 3 3/4" ; H 4 3/4".
