While visiting Antiques Week in New Hampshire in August, I had a conversation at one of the shows with Crocker Farm about the current demand for the man-in-the-moon motif on nineteenth century cobalt decorated stoneware. It is a type of decoration that is predominantly from central Pennsylvania that seems to always be in-demand. The decorator for many of these objects is believed to be Shem Thomas, a potter who was originally trained by Thompson Harrington of Lyons, New York.
Nevertheless, this nineteenth century stoneware jug with a very good cobalt decoration that depicts the man-in-the-moon motif, stamped "COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG, PA," just sold in an online auction at the Goodwill store in Fredericksburg, Virginia: https://shopgoodwill.com/item/216751243. Bidding for the jug began at $25.00, eventually selling for $3,660.
Prices vary for this type of production in Pennsylvania with multiple stoneware manufacturers creating this type of cobalt figure, although the examples made in Harrisburg are quite desirable with what I believe is the highest amount paid being a batter pail decorated with three man-in-the-moon motifs; that object sold at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland in the spring of 2023 for $54,000 including the buyer's premium: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2023-03-31/lot-21/Exceedingly-Rare-and-Important-COWDEN-WILCOX-HARRISBURG-PA-Triple-Man-in-the-Moon-Batter-Pail/.
For a brief history of this business: John Wallace Cowden (1817-1872) and Isaac Wilcox (1831-1906) initially established and ran this pottery in Harrisburg, although the company was also known as C.W. Pottery. The factory was a ceramic manufacturing company that was established in 1861, after Harrisburg was incorporated as a city on March 19, 1860, whereas the factory produced pottery until about 1923. This business mostly produced stoneware, but they also made some red earthenware, where production from this company was distributed locally, although it was also marketed in parts of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
Furthermore, a Cowden & Wilcox stoneware crock decorated with a deer in cobalt sold earlier this fall for $54,000 plus buyer's premium at Conestoga Auctions in Pennsylvania: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/09/circa-1865-cowden-wilcox-stoneware.html.
The deer crock may have been the second most expensive piece of stoneware from this manufacturer to sell at auction, where the auction record is a jug made by Cowden and Wilcox decorated with a Civil War soldier in cobalt, which sold at Crocker Farm in October of 2014 for $97,500 including the buyer's premium: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/09/a-19th-century-two-gallon-stoneware-jug.html.
Another example of stoneware from Harrisburg, stamped "WM. MOYER / HARRISBURG PA," set an auction record for Pennsylvania stoneware at Crocker Farm in the spring of 2022 when it sold for $144,000 including the buyer's premium: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2022-04-08/lot-37/Exceedingly-Rare-and-Important-WM-MOYER-HARRISBURG-PA-Stoneware-Pedestal-Water-Cooler/.
Note: Some of the other stoneware manufacturers who produced objects in the 1800s with the man-in-the-moon motif include Ottman Bros. & Company in Fort Edward, New York, Evan R. Jones in Pittston, Pennsylvania and at Michael and Theophilus Miller, Jr.'s pottery in Newport, Pennsylvania. However, it is unclear who decorated these objects, seeing there is no documented information of Shem Thomas working at these companies, and it may just be a result of competitors copying a popular design, which still remains in-demand with collectors today.
Update: There is a collector inquiring about this jug should whoever have purchased it be reading this post! Feel free to contact me.
Cowden & Wilcox Stoneware Jug Decorated in Cobalt with Man-in-the-Moon
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