A highly important Newcomb College Pottery vase sold June 27 at Neal Auction Company, setting a new auction record for a Newcomb object at auction.
A private collector purchased the Newcomb College art pottery high glaze vase, 1904, for $169,200, including the 17½ percent buyer’s premium, according to the auction house. Decorated by Marie de Hoa LeBlanc, with an incised design of jackmanii climbing clematis in blue, green and yellow underglaze, the base was marked with Newcomb cipher, decorator’s mark, Joseph Meyer’s potter’s mark, “Q” for buff clay body and reg. no. “VV19.” The vase stands 13 inches high and is 6½ inches in diameter. It was estimated $35/45,000.
Neal Alford, president and founder of Neal Auction Company, said, “It was a singular 1904 vase, which had all the makings for a world record price. The highly sought-after decorator, the impressive size, the remarkable condition, the unique carved climbing clematis design, the fact that it was made during a key moment within the Arts and Crafts movement in America, and the sale locale at Neal Auction, whose historic, circa 1890 building is located just blocks away from Newcomb College, all combined to create the perfect storm. We are very pleased with its success.”
The advisor to the private collector who purchased the vase had the following to say about the significance of the vase: “This vase represents a high-water mark for the Newcomb College Pottery and stands as perhaps the finest example extant of their floral designs. Its seamless integration of complex imagery, stylized and naturalistic gestures and geometric elements creates absolute visual unity. The dramatically scaled vase exhibits exceptional design, perfect carving and flawless glazes. This highly sophisticated creation brings together bold silhouettes with nuanced asymmetries, fine grained layering with carefully orchestrated color harmony, all yielding a Newcomb College vase of unequalled virtuosity and beauty. We felt it was crucial to augment our well-developed collection of Newcomb works with a floral vase of this quality and consider this chance to have been a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
A complete sale review will appear in a future issue of Antiques and The Arts Weekly.
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