Last Thursday, I went to a sale held by New Hampshire auctioneer, Devin Moisan at the Elks Club Hall in Dover, New Hampshire. I found out about the auction the morning of the sale - and I drove north to New Hampshire after my work day had wrapped up at NECN in Newton, Massachusetts (west of Boston). While driving north, I took a brief detour off Route 95 to my house in Newburyport, Massachusetts - and after about an hour - I made the thirty-mile drive north to Dover arriving just in-time for the 5:00 pm auction to begin.
The reason for my interest in the sale was an interesting slip decorated canister that at the time - I knew nothing about; however, it appeared eighteenth-century to me so I figured it would be a piece that I may want to add to my collection. The sale also featured a few examples of art pottery, a nineteenth-century redware jug likely made in Connecticut (sold for $300 without premium), a nineteenth-century redware flask likely made in Connecticut (sold for $225 without premium), a group of utilitarian red earthenware from various American makers and an under-fired nineteenth-century stoneware jar with cobalt decoration made by Salomon Bell's company in Strasburg, Virginia (sold for $300 without premium).
Elks Club Hall - Dover, NH
Devin Moisan Held an Auction Here on Thursday February 11, 2015
It was an Eclectic Sale that Offered a Variety of Products Mostly from Local Homes
Devin Moisan Auction - Dover, NH
Devin Moisan Auction - Dover, NH
Devin Moisan Auction - Dover, NH
Devin Moisan Auction - Dover, NH
Honestly, I guess I got a little ahead of myself because I thought I was going to get the following jar so I didn't photograph it at the auction; however, I was mistaken. Ultimately, the canister sold for $1,550 plus the auction premium. Since I was not positive on the maker or even the place or the country it was made in - I thought that was too much money to gamble on.
There has been some debate in recent days over the origin of this jar. Most people feel it is American-made, but there have been some who have suggested that it may be an English product, too. I personally handled this piece for a few moments at the auction preview and I even looked at it under a bright light; the following photo does not really capture the personality that this jar portrays in-person. It was advertised as a New England-made piece, but I do not believe it was made in New England. My initial reaction when I picked it up was that it may have been a product made in Pennsylvania in the late-eighteenth-century due to the color of the clay, the refinement of the canister and the fluid-like glaze. The color of the slip is also what I expect to see on many of the slip decorated wares commonly produced in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic region in the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries. I think there are arguments that can be made for a number of potters who worked in a number of places that are not limited to just Pennsylvania (or maybe even America).
A friend of mine, who has owned a similar jar before pointed out to me that this canister likely had a lid at one-time and it was also likely used for tobacco. I hadn't considered that use, but it certainly makes sense.
A friend of mine, who has owned a similar jar before pointed out to me that this canister likely had a lid at one-time and it was also likely used for tobacco. I hadn't considered that use, but it certainly makes sense.
I was surprised! The jar sold in a country auction that was held last Thursday during one of the many recent snow storms in New England - and it was also not a piece that was advertised in print or online. I was surprised that it would garner such attention. There was bidding on the auction room floor and there were also phone bidders. The canister ultimately went to a phone bidder. From what I have been told - this was actually a good price for this piece since similar products have garnered much larger prices in years past. While I do not have an exact attribution - I do believe the jar was possibly made by an urban-based potter rather than a country potter because of the skill shown in the production. I was told it came from a New England consignor. It's possible that this jar will emerge again in the coming months displayed in one of the many dealer's booths who exhibit as part of the national antiques show circuit. Regardless - it is a wonderful piece of red earthenware no matter the maker that I really feel was made in the late-eighteenth-century.
Large Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Jar Likely Used for Tobacco
Origin Not Completely Understood: Could be American. Could be English.
Approximately 10" Tall
Possibly Dates from the 18th Century
Photo Courtesy: Devin Moisan Auctions - Dover, NH
Photo Courtesy: Devin Moisan Auctions - Dover, NH
Here are photos of a few of the other items that were offered at the sale that also caught my attention. I only stayed for the first fifty-five lots (the canister was lot number 55) and from what I could see - everything was bringing strong prices.
Very Nice 19th Century American-Made Fraktur
Photo Courtesy: Devin Moisan Auctions - Dover, NH
(Top Left) Very Rare 19th Century Earthenware Hampshire Pottery Tankard - Keene, NH
(Right) Late 19th or 20th Century Rookwood Earthenware Vase - Cincinnati, Oh
Photo Courtesy: Devin Moisan Auctions - Dover, NH
19th Century Miniature Pine Chest of Drawers
Photo Courtesy: Devin Moisan Auctions - Dover, NH
Mounted Exotic Animal Heads
Not My Taste, But Also Not Something I Usually See at the Auctions I Go To
Not My Taste, But Also Not Something I Usually See at the Auctions I Go To
Photo Courtesy: Devin Moisan Auctions - Dover, NH
Wonderful 18th or 19th Century Tin Double Wall Sconce
Photo Courtesy: Devin Moisan Auctions - Dover, NH
Probably Early 19th Century Painted American-Made Trunk
Photo Courtesy: Devin Moisan Auctions - Dover, NH
Utilitarian Red Earthenware Offered as a Single Lot
Multiple Potters and Regions are Represented
Photo Courtesy: Devin Moisan Auctions - Dover, NH
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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