Exceptional Copper-Decorated Redware Flowerpot, attrib. S. Bell & Sons, Strasburg, VA, circa 1890

Spring 2022 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 247

Price Realized: $2,880.00

($2,400 hammer, plus 20% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 2 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 2022 Auction Catalog

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Exceptional Copper-Decorated Redware Flowerpot, attributed to S. Bell & Sons, Strasburg, VA, circa 1890, ovoid flowerpot with deeply-coggled rim, decorated around the body with three bands of wavy incised combing separated by two bands of straight incised lines. Surface dipped in cream-colored slip and decorated with brushed swags and flowers in a lead-and-copper-glaze. In his book, The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region, leading Shenandoah pottery authority, H.E. Comstock, states, "[The flowerpot's] extensive undulant combing is rarely found on Valley products in such volume (Comstock, p. 248.)" One closely-related work resides in the collection of Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware. The finest redware flowerpot from this pottery that we have ever offered, appealing in its form, glaze, and prolific use of incised and coggled treatments. Literature: Illustrated and discussed in Comstock, The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region, p. 248, fig. 5.1.52. Excellent condition with light rim wear and very minor surface wear, the glaze remaining undamaged. This state of preservation is rarely found in Strasburg slip-coated flowerpots. The flowerpot was likely made with a separately-fired saucer, which is missing. H 9".