From a Rare Red Earthenware Dog to an 1823 Portrait: Two Highlights from the Manger Collection Sale in North Carolina

The Collection of Dr. George and Connie Manger successfully sold last week at a live auction hosted by Brunk Auctions in Asheville, North Carolina. The single-owner sale featured 140 lots of high-style American furniture, fine art, and decorative pieces. Dr. Manger was known as a consummate archivist, meaning almost every item came with its original purchase receipt, publication history, and exhibition documentation. 

While the auction offered an incredible mix of early American furniture, fine art, and historic pottery, two specific items really stood out to me. First was a ten-inch red earthenware dog, believed to be the largest known surviving piece by that specific potter. The second was a fascinating miniature portrait from 1823, featuring the handwritten inscription "John Bell / Drawn in 1823" on its back.

While its early history remains a mystery, the dog boasts a clear line of recent ownership. Legendary Robesonia, Pennsylvania potter Lester Breininger owned the piece in the 1980s or 1990s, likely acquiring it from an antiques dealer. From there, it went to Robesonia dealer Greg Kramer, who eventually sold it to Dr. Manger. Even with some minor restoration, this remarkable object fetched $32,000 plus the buyer's premium at the auction: https://live.brunkauctions.com/online-auctions/brunk/extremely-rare-and-important-john-bell-waynesboro-pennsylvania-attributed-earthenware-dog-with-basket-9087936.

Thought to be the only surviving portrait of John Bell (1800-1880), this rare painting was featured in the exhibition "By, For, and Of the People: Folk Art and Americana" at the DAR Museum in Washington, D.C., from 2011 to 2012. It even retains its original museum loan agreement and insurance paperwork. The portrait of John Bell sold for $7,000 plus the buyer's premium: https://live.brunkauctions.com/online-auctions/brunk/rare-miniature-portrait-of-john-bell-9087781.

For the rest of the auction- see the online catalog: https://live.brunkauctions.com/auctions/brunk/collection-of-dr-george-and-connie-manger-june-24-2026-22907.

Note: For more information about red earthenware figures - see a feature story I wrote for the August 21, 2020 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, A Look At 19th-Century Red Earthenware Figures Made in Pennsylvania: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2020/09/new-published-research-story-in.html.

Also look in my list of my writing in the right column at the bottom of this website for links to a 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.

19th Century Red Earthenware Figure of Dog Made in Pennsylvania

 Circa 1850

Measures 9 1/2" by 10"

Perhaps the Largest Dog of this Type

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Photo Courtesy: Brunk Auctions

Early 19th Century Miniature Portrait of John Bell

Inscribed on the Back "John Bell / Drawn in 1823"

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Photo Courtesy: Brunk Auctions

A View of the Back

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Photo Courtesy: Brunk Auctions

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