Some excellent examples of eighteenth and nineteenth century red earthenware sold last week as part of the estate of Joyce Bowes Collis at Pook & Pook in Downington, Pennsylvania. The most coveted pieces were three examples of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century sgraffito decorated red earthenware from southeastern Pennsylvania, which are related to pieces owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Winterthur in Delaware and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, among other museums.
Although, my favorite object in the sale was the first piece pictured in this post, a multicolored slip decorated plate attributed to southeastern Pennsylvania, which may have been manufactured in Philadelphia in the 1700s. I was surprised when I handled this piece after it sold last week because of how thin it is, but the technique of the slip decoration and the faint circle around the center of the plate is reminiscent to pieces I have seen from Philadelphia, including some found in privies in the city, as well as others recovered from archaeological contexts.
Interestingly though, the sgraffito decorated jar posted below attributed to Conrad Mumbouer (1761-1845) in Bucks County, Pennsylvania is very similar to a jar attributed to Mumbouer from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. That jar was also painted by artist Henry Moran in 1939 as part of the Index of American Design at the National Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Moran painted twenty-six pieces for the Index of American Design, including other utilitarian pottery, glass, textiles and furniture.
Nevertheless, some of the pieces I posted also had some restoration, but overall these are incredibly rare surviving objects, especially any type of sgraffito decorated pottery from southeastern Pennsylvania. The sold price including the buyer's premium is provided in the caption below each picture.
Note: Here is a link to a press release published by Pook & Pook that provides detailed information about this two-day sale, the owner and the collection.
The Estate of Joyce Bowes Collis that Sold Last Week at Pook & Pook in Pennsylvania
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