A Red Earthenware Whippet Made by John Bell and a Possible Great Road Jug that Sold Yesterday at Pook & Pook in Pennsylvania

Last September, I posted about the Walter and Jeannette Smith Collection of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which sold at Pook & Pook in Downington, Pennsylvania, a collection that I had admired for more than a decade. I first met the Smiths back in 2013 when Walter contacted me after I wrote my first published research article for the October 2013 issue of the New England Antiques Journal, titled, Buried in Merrimacport: William Pecker, his pots and his kiln. 

Interestingly, a nineteenth century painted red earthenware whippet from their collection sold yesterday at Pook & Pook; the figure was made by John Bell (1800-1880). The paint was original, although there was a repaired break to the base. The mark on the base may read, "I Bell," but it is tough to tell because of the break, otherwise it reads, "John Bell."

Similar objects made by John W. Bell (1828-1895) in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania have sold for as much as $41,800, including the buyer's premium: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2005-05-21/lot-1/JOHN-W-BELL-Waynesboro-Pa-Redware-Pottery-Whippet/.

Furthermore, this form was also made by other Bell family members, such as Samuel (1811-1891) and Solomon Bell (1817-1882) in Winchester, Virginia. For instance, a pair of whippets that were signed "Samuel Bell / Winchester Sept 21 1841" sold at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland in 2013 for $115,000 including the buyer's premium: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2013-07-20/lot-219/Important-Pair-of-Shenandoah-Valley-Redware-Whippets-Samuel-Bell-Winchester-VA-1841/.

Nonetheless, this whippet sold yesterday for $2,250 including the buyer's premium. I have also posted pictures of a very good example that is privately owned, although it was sold more than a decade ago in New York City; it is inscribed on the base "Solomon Bell / Winchester."

Additionally, a nineteenth century red earthenware jug sold yesterday at Pook & Pook that I suspect was made somewhere along the Great Road in southwest Virginia or northeast Tennessee; it sold for $7,500 including the buyer's premium: https://live.pookandpook.com/online-auctions/pook/redware-ovoid-jug-6954005.

Note: For more information about the John Bell Pottery - see a three-page cover story I wrote for the December 14, 2018 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Bell Pottery Collection at the Renfrew Museum in Waynesboro, Pa.: https://antiquesandauctionnews.net/articles/The-Bell-Pottery-Collection-At-The-Renfrew-Museum-In-Waynesboro%2C-Pa~/

19th C. Red Earthenware Whippets Made by the Bell Family

19th Century Molded Red Earthenware Whippet Made by John Bell

From the Collection of Walter and Jeannette Smith

Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook

19th Century Molded Red Earthenware Whippet Made by Solomon Bell in Winchester, VA

Inscribed on the Base "Solomon Bell / Winchester"

Photo Courtesy: Sam Herrup Antiques

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...