A selection of American and Ontario (Canada) red earthenware closed this afternoon as part of an online Americana sale at Bonhams | Skinner in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The objects had been consigned from the collection of Historic Deerfield in Deerfield, Massachusetts, whereas the proceeds from today's sale will benefit Historic Deerfield's collections fund.
Although, one object in particular really stood out to me that was sold in a group lot of red earthenware, all of which were arguably made in America in the 1700s and 1800s. That object was a large eighteenth or nineteenth century red earthenware mixing bowl with a pouring spout that is illustrated in Massachusetts author Lura Woodside Watkins' (1897-1982) book, Early New England Potters and Their Wares. The bowl is pictured in Figure 39c, where Watkins described it as a "Lipped bowl; orange-red with brushings of dark brown, Osborn pottery, Central Street (South Danvers/Peabody, Massachusetts)."
Interestingly, while the majority of Watkins' collection is owned today by the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. and Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, there are some objects pictured in her book that she never owned. And this happens to be the case with this bowl; prior to it being owned by Historic Deerfield it was purchased by a private New York City and northern New England collector when the collection of Dan and Jan Olmstead sold in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on September 13, 2008. It is pictured in the auction catalog as lot number 38; however, I do not know how the Olmsteads came into the possession of this object, but it may have been purchased directly from the Osborn family in Peabody, seeing that this is where I believe Watkins learned about its information for publication in her book.
Nevertheless, this lot sold for $704 including the buyer's premium; for the rest of the pottery in the sale - see the auction catalog: https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29562/winter-americana/.
Note: An object that did well in today's sale was a nice early twentieth century sgraffito decorated red earthenware plate made by Jacob Medinger (1856-1932) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, which sold for $3,840 including the buyer's premium: https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29562/lot/388/sgraffito-decorated-redware-plate-pennsylvania-19th-century/.
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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