The stoneware and redware pottery collection of William Kelly Young attracted serious attention as it crossed the auction block at Crocker Farm on January 30. Crocker Farm principal Tony Zipp predicted prior to the sale that the auction would be remembered as one of the most important folk pottery events of the past decade.
An unusual assortment of pottery, the 300 lots offered from Young’s collection featured wares from around the entire country, including whimsical stoneware jugs from Texas, a selection of Ohio crockery, a collection of North Carolina stoneware and redware, colorful pieces from the Shenandoah Valley, as well as the usual assortment of wares from the Northeast. Young began his collection in the mid-1980s and was said to have been a familiar sight at antiques shows and auctions, easily identifiable by his Western garb, from his cowboy hat all the way down to his boots.
The auction, taking place in the building adjacent to the exhibition hall that was hosting the Original York Antiques Show, attracted a large and serious crowd.
The first of the lots to be offered was a rare miniature jar with an incised and blue decorated bird thought to have been made in Albany, N.Y. Standing roughly 4½ inches tall, the rare piece sold after active bidding at $1,150. A miniature stoneware pitcher with blue decoration was offered next, with it selling at $2,530, while another miniature pitcher, this one from Baltimore, garnered $4,255.
Young had a soft spot for the redware figures created by the likes of John Bell and other potters throughout the Shenandoah region. The first of the lots offered, a figure of a dog guarding a baby, did well, selling at $5,980. A redware bank in the form of a parrot was knocked down at $6,325, a bank in the form of a stump with an Indian alongside it brought $4,715, and a bank in the form of a Conestoga wagon made $7,590.
A pair of redware spaniels with multicolored slip decoration saw active bidding as they sold at $4,600.
A nice redware figure of a seated squirrel with nut saw serious action from the crowd, and went out at $4,830; a standing bear figure brought $4,255, and a folky redware figure of a deer sold for $6,325.
The top lot of the redware figures came as a rare molded whippet with later paint decoration, marked John Bell, sold for $14,950. A large-sized freestanding dog attributed to the Bell family went out at $2,185.
Shenandoah redware performed well, with a holy water font in multicolored glaze, decorated with an applied cross and made by J. Eberly, selling at $14,950. Another Eberly piece, a vase with vine and bud applied decoration that was accented by slip, sold at $7,475, while a wall pocket with applied florals and a bird brought $5,175.
A selection of redware plates with slip decoration included a small plate with yellow and manganese slip decoration of a bird that sold for $4,255, while a plate with a slip decorated horse, attributed to Jacob Meddinger, realized $2,300. Another Meddinger plate, this one a sgraffito example with a soldier, brought $2,645.
The highlight of the auction was the Temperance jug with applied snake and a human form that was leaning into the jug from one side while his head protruded from the opposite side. An applied snake wrapped around the rare jug, forming the handle and also with the head extending from the lip of the rim. Made in Kosse, Texas, the lot was estimated at $8/12,000, and was also decorated with a couple of lizards, applied presentation plaques and coloration. Pieces of the lizards, parts of the snake and other pieces of the applied ornamentation were missing, some damage was believed to have been incurred during the firing process. Bidding on the lot was brisk, with it selling well above estimate at $17,250.
A stoneware harvest jug with an applied snake, believed to have been made in south central region of the United States, attracted tepid interest and sold at $1,265 against a $1,5/3,000 estimate.
A rare stoneware gemel jug, unusual in that it was thrown in the form of a single vessel and divided within, made by John Brelsford, Philadelphia, was decorated with a large blue floral decoration. Selling above estimate, the lot realized $4,600.
Another unusual piece was a flask in a circular and flattened form that had been decorated in cobalt with a watch face. It sold between estimates at $3,450.
Southern pottery continued to bring strong prices, with a rare Moravian squirrel bottle, attributed to Rudolph Christ, Salem, N.C., handily exceeding the estimate to bring $15,525. The redware bottle was glazed in a cream color with copper and manganese decoration. A rare Moravian bear form bottle, also attributed to Christ, was another lot to surpass estimate as it sold for $9,775.
A 3-gallon jar in an alkaline glaze with a large “3” in slip surrounded by a floral decoration was impressed Chandler. Bidding on the lot was brisk, with it doubling estimate as it hammered down for $6,613.
A large 6-gallon handled jug with an alkaline glaze by Vale, N.C., potter Daniel Seagle saw substantial action. One of two pieces in the sale by the highly desired potter, the jug was knocked down at $10,005. An 8-gallon jar by Seagle sold for $4,255.
Anther jug that was fiercely bid on was a 3-gallon example in an alkaline glaze by Daniel Hartsoe, Lincoln County, N.C., that realized $7,705.
Prices include the buyer’s premium charged. For information, 410-337-5090 or www.crockerfarm.com .
