Outstanding 6 Gal. HARRINGTON & BURGER / ROCHESTER Stoneware Crock w/ Parrot Design

Spring 2023 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 224

Price Realized: $3,600.00

($3,000 hammer, plus 20% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: The American ceramics market frequently changes, often dramatically. 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 2023 Auction Catalog

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Outstanding Six-Gallon Stoneware Crock with Elaborate Cobalt Parrot Eating Cherries Motif, Stamped "HARRINGTON & BURGER / ROCHESTER, N.Y.," circa 1852-1854, cylindrical crock with tooled shoulder, squared rim, and applied lug handles, decorated with a large slip-trailed design of a parrot perched on the trunk of a tree, grasping two cherries to eat in one foot. Profuse spotted and striped details to parrot's body and shading to trunk. Slip-trailed ground below with shrubs. Slip-trailed "6." to shoulder. Cobalt highlight to maker's mark. One of a few examples of Burger's prized parrot motif known, the design was likely copied or inspired by a natural history print of the period. The combined detail, size, color, and realism of the design classify Burger as the leading stoneware decorator of 19th century America. Provenance: Ex-John Morgan Collection, Pike, NY. Broken into several large pieces and reglued with paint covering much of the damage. There is, however, no painted restoration to the cobalt decoration. Some yellowed varnish is applied to the leaves of the tree. Significant restoration to one handle, the restoration having started to peel. The restoration on this crock was executed by its previous owner, pioneering New York State stoneware collector, John Morgan. Additionally, there is a long hairline to the left of the parrot and a 2 1/2" Y-shaped line near the base on the reverse. H 14 3/4".