EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: 20th Century Red Earthenware Objects Made by Robert Stauffer (1921-2017) in Pennsylvania

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

20th Century Red Earthenware Objects Made by Robert Stauffer (1921-2017) in Pennsylvania

It has been a little more than a year now since I was first introduced to the pottery made by a man named Robert Stauffer (1921-2017), while previewing an auction at Freeman's in Philadelphia in November 2018. The auction featured a wide selection of twentieth century carvings and red earthenware objects; although, the red earthenware really spoke to me because of the forms and the strong pre-auction estimates. It had only been a few days since I was given a private tour of Winterthur's spectacular red earthenware collection in Delaware, and I was surprised to see that many of the wares made by Stauffer were copying actual objects from Winterthur's collection. However, all of the pottery lots were passed.

Since then, I have been trying to learn more about Stauffer's life as a potter, but have been unsuccessful, even though he appears to have been talented. Freeman's did provide a brief biography with each lot: "Little is known about the life of Robert Stauffer, who often lived in and around Marysville (in central Pennsylvania), and passed away in February 2017. He is considered by some to have been a clever carver, painter and potter who created compelling facsimiles of the work of Wilhelm Schimmel and Pennsylvania redware - often with the intent to fool the unwary - while many insist that these carvings and redware items were the work of other artisans. Most of the carvings and pottery offered here are signed by Stauffer, and were purchased from him for their whimsical appeal."

But not everything was signed based on a collection of his pottery that just sold M.J. Stasak Jr. Auctions in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. This collection also included the lots that had been passed at Freeman's. Nonetheless, I thought it was interesting to see these objects, especially considering some of the iconic Mid-Atlantic forms they are modeled after, which had been produced in the nineteenth century.

Red Earthenware Objects Made by Robert Stauffer