Extremely Rare Pennsylvania Redware Leopard Figure

Spring 2023 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 113

Price Realized: $9,000.00

($7,500 hammer, plus 20% buyer's premium)

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Auction Highlight: Spring 2023 Auction | Pennsylvania Redware

Spring 2023 Auction Catalog

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Exceedingly Rare Glazed Redware Figure of a Standing Leopard, Eastern PA origin, possibly Chester County, circa 1850-1880, hand-modeled figure of a leopard with long tail curled between its legs, standing on an oblong base with impressed and hand-incised details to face, the body profusely-decorated with an array of impressed spots. Large spots appear on the left and right sides of the body, face, and legs, while a band of alternating ovals and small circles runs down the figure's back. Base with elaborate impressed leaf and floral motifs surrounded by a circle-within-circle border. Surface covered in black, gun metal glaze composed of lead and manganese. This work is noteworthy for the rarity of its form, prolific impressed decoration, prodigious size, and condition. The leopard form is easily among the most elusive forms produced in the tradition of Pennsylvania redware animal sculpture. The animal's surprised expression and abundance of spotting create an object with strong appeal as a work of folk art. Among the finest Pennsylvania redware animals that we have ever offered, it previously sold in 1982 in the famous "Heilman sale," remembered for its outstanding collection of redware figurals. Provenance: Sotheby's, American Folk Art, Furniture, and Related Decorative Arts: The Collection of the Late Pauline Heilman, York, Pennsylvania, York Interstate Fairgrounds, July 16 and 17, 1982, lot #521; Purchased by the consignor from Gary and Diana Stradling, New York, NY, in July, 1982. Excellent condition with minor wear to the ears and muzzle, a rarity given the fragility of redware sculpture. Remarkably, the animal's free-standing tail remains untouched. L 6 1/2" ; W 2 1/2" ; H 5 1/4".