Exceedingly Rare and Important Anthony W. Bacher / 1881 Redware Birdhouse (Winchester, VA)

Spring 2023 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 318

Price Realized: $1,680.00

($1,400 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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Exceedingly Rare and Important Redware Birdhouse with Applied Figural Decoration, Inscribed "Anthony W. Bacher / 1881," Winchester, VA origin, 1881, beehive form with acorn-shaped finial, circular opening with applied and carved perch, and original vent holes in underside, the shoulder decorated with two hand-modeled and applied clay birds: one in repose, the other with raised wings, feeding at a stylized flower blossom. Front of birdhouse decorated with a small hand-modeled and applied cat facing the opening- a playful image of an animal trying to catch the bird living inside. Lead-glazed surface decorated with marbled manganese over cream-colored slip. Underside with large incised Anthony Bacher signature and 1881 date. Exceptional form, displaying Bacher's proficiency at potting and hand-modeling. Relatively few 19th century American redware birdhouses are known. When found, their glazing tends to be simple or non-existent, while also lacking applied ornamentation of any kind. This rare survivor, exemplifying Bacher's flair for the dramatic, ranks among the most decorative 19th century American ceramic birdhouses known. Missing upper half of one bird. Loss to wing of other bird. Damage to cat, including missing one ear and one eye. A long diagonal crack through opening. Two base chips. Other lesser chips and wear. H 6 1/2" ; Diam. 5 5/8".