Outstanding Albany, NY Stoneware Bird Crock, circa 1860

Fall 2021 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 37

Price Realized: $10,800.00

($9,000 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.

Auction Highlight: Fall 2021 Auction | NY State Stoneware

Fall 2021 Auction Catalog

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Outstanding Six-Quart Stoneware Crock with Elaborate Cobalt Bird Decoration, Stamped "ALBANY, N.Y.," probably O'Connell Pottery, Albany, NY, circa 1860, cylindrical crock with semi-rounded rim and applied lug handles, decorated with a boldly-slip-trailed design of a crested bird atop a wreath, flanked by flourishes. The design features wonderful stylized features including an unusual, swell-breasted shape to the bird, cross-hatching throughout the body, a round crest, and a swag-decorated wing. The wreath surrounding the bird includes graduated vertical strokes at the center flanked by long, scrolled stems. The decorator appears preoccupied with filling the remaining space of the crock's front with cobalt. Thus, the area to the right of the bird is decorated with randomly-placed striping, spots, and two small flourishes, while the area of the bird's left depicts a stylized flower blossom. Crock bears an "ALBANY, N.Y." maker's mark above an impressed "6" denoting six quarts (also one-and-a-half-gallons), an unusually small size for such an extravagantly-decorated piece. Executed in brilliant cobalt and featuring design elements reminiscent of abstract or modern art, this crock's decoration is among the more striking and intriguing renderings of a bird that we have offered in recent years. Provenance: Recently surfaced in North Carolina. Very nice condition with small chips to interior of rim, a very faint 4" hairline from rim on front, and some staining. H 7 3/4" ; Diam. 9 1/2".