Extremely Rare J. MILLER / ALEX (James Miller, Alexandria, VA) Stoneware Jar, 1820's
Fall 2024 Stoneware Auction
Lot #: 227
Estimate: $2,000-$4,000.A Note About Estimates
Minimum Bid: $500.
Extremely Rare Three-Gallon Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Jar, Stamped "J. MILLER / ALEX," James Miller, Alexandria, VA, circa 1824-1826, ovoid jar with tooled shoulder, rounded rim, and arched tab handles, decorated with a large brushed "3" on the front and cobalt surrounding the handles. James Miller spent his early years working at the Alexandria pottery shops of Henry Piercy and Lewis Plumb. He became the first recorded stoneware potter within the limits of today's District of Columbia when he opened his Georgetown shop circa 1820; he would later establish a stoneware and redware pottery in Alexandria, circa 1824. Only a handful of signed James Miller products have surfaced. These include redware sugar jar sherds from the Moore-McLean Sugar House in Alexandria and approximately five intact stoneware vessels. Provenance: Crocker Farm, Inc., July 17, 2004, lot 271; Spring 2023, lot 97. Excellent, essentially as-made condition, noteworthy for this jar's age and origin. H 14".
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