This outstanding and perhaps unique American-made painted terracotta or unglazed red earthenware object sold at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland in the spring of 2022, although for whatever reason, I must have missed it. However, I recently acquired it from Virginia antiques dealers Chris and Bernadette Evans.
Nonetheless, I believe this object may have been the only piece like it manufactured, whereas I also believe this terracotta face may depict Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Furthermore, the back is inscribed in Latin, "Fecit," which translates to "he/she (made) it used on artwork (such as a painting, sculpture, engraving or building) to identify its creator.
In this case, the inscription reads, "Bell / Fecit 1875." The base is also inscribed with a Greek name. I am not yet convinced who may have manufactured this object, but I believe it is an important piece of artwork from either Pennsylvania, the Shenandoah Valley or Ohio.
Additionally, some of this type of unglazed production has been attributed to a potter named Joseph Bell in Muskingum County, Ohio, but I can only find records of him working with stoneware, manufacturing objects like molded decorative whippets. This object is not molded, and rather hand-sculpted.
For more information about Joseph Bell - see this article that I posted to this website in September 2022: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2022/09/joseph-bell-potter-who-reportedly.html
Ancient Revival Pottery Manufactured in America in 1875
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
No comments:
Post a Comment