A good example of late eighteenth or nineteenth century sgraffito decorated red earthenware most likely from southeastern Pennsylvania sold yesterday at Pook & Pook Inc. in Downington, Pennsylvania. In fact, this dish might be related to a group of somewhat similar decorated plates adorned with similar color patters that are not identified to a specific maker outside of having been produced in southeastern Pennsylvania, which are owned today by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and Winterthur Museum in Delaware.
Dating back more than a century, sgraffito decorated red earthenware has always been prized among collectors, dealers and museums, and this is why the three mentioned museums own some of the best public collections in America today. It began with Edwin Atlee Barber (1851-1916) in Philadelphia, followed by Robert (1848-1931) and Emily (1851-1942) Weeks DeForest at the MET, and then Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969) at Wintethur Museum.
Furthermore, even though I cannot pinpoint the potter who made this plate, it is still a very good example; the decoration is accomplished and the colors are great! Nonetheless, it sold for $3,500 plus the buyers premium: https://live.pookandpook.com/online-auctions/pook/southeastern-pennsylvania-sgraffito-charger-5659378.
Note: Pennsylvania potter Wesley Muckey of Nolde Forest Pottery also commented saying that he thought this plate may have previously been owned by Pennsylvania-German potter Lester Breininger (1935-2011).
Good Example of Early Sgraffito Decorated Red Earthenware
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
2 comments:
It has quite a bit of rather poor restoration on the surface. Sadly it looked better in photographs than in person. Still, from a distance it would make most collectors proud.
Thank you!
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