Antique Stoneware Pottery | A. CONRAD, NEW GENEVA, PA 2 GAL. STONEWARE CROCK withSTENCILLED COBALT DECORATION

A. CONRAD, NEW GENEVA, PA 2 GAL. STONEWARE CROCK withSTENCILLED COBALT DECORATION

NICE SALT-GLAZED 2 GAL. STONEWARE CROCK WITH COBALT STENCILING MADE BY THE POTTERY OF ALEXANDER CONRAD OF NEW GENEVA, PA SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 1870 AND 1882. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CONRAD’S AND OTHER WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA POTTERIES OF THE 1800’s CAN BE FOUND IN OLD POTS AND STONEWARE OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, BOTH WRITTEN BY PHIL SHALTENBRAND. STENCILED COBALT BLUE LETTERING READS:’A. CONRAD, NEW GENEVA, PA’ WITH A LARGE, BOLD STENCILED’2′ AT THE BOTTOM. EXTENSIVE ADDITIONAL DECORATIVE STENCILING CAN BE FOUND ABOVE CONRAD’S NAME (FLOWERS AND BRANCHES), ABOVE AND TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT OF’NEW’, TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT OF’PA’ AND TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT OF’2′. APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS: 11-1/2 INCHES IN HEIGHT, OUTSIDE DIAMETER AT TOP = 7-3/8. INTERESTINGLY, THE COLORATION OF THE SALT GLAZE IS UNUSUALLY UNEVEN ON THIS PIECE; BOTH DARK GRAY, LIGHT GRAY AND BROWNISH GRAY AREAS ARE OBSERVED. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN A RESULT OF USING A COAL-FIRED KILN AS SCHALTENBRAND DESCRIBES IN HIS BOOK HOW COAL PRODUCES A DARKER FINISHED SALT GLAZE COMPARED TO THAT PRODUCED IN A WOOD-FIRED KILN. ALTHOUGH, IN THAT CASE, ONE WOULD EXPECT THE ENTIRE FINISH TO BE DARK. OTHER ISSUES COULD BE POOR HEAT DISTRIBUTION IN THE KILN, INSUFFIECIENT HEATING OR POSSIBLY CONTAMINANTS IN THE GLAZE. OR PERHAPS BOTH WOOD AND COAL WERE BOTH USED TO FIRE THE KILN? THERE ARE 2 CONDITION ISSUES THAT DETRACT VERY LITTLE FROM THE QUALITY OF THIS PIECE. FIRST, ON THE BOTTOM AND TRAVELLING ABOUT 1 INCH UP THE SIDE IS A TIGHT, SURFACE HAIRLINE CRACK (SEE PHOTOS #9 & 10). I BELIEVE THIS CRACK WAS CAUSED IN THE FIRING BY AN INCLUSION AS A’HOLE’ WHERE THE INCLUSION RESIDED IS CLEARLY PRESENT IN THE PATH OF THE CRACK ON THE SIDE (CLEARLY PRESENT IN BOTH PHOTOS). THE HAIRLINE CRACK IS DEFINITELY ON THE SURFACE AS I FILLED THE CROCK UP WITH WATER AND LET IT SET FOR 3 HOURS; NO WATER WAS OBSERVED’SEEPING’ THROUGH THE CRACK. MY EXPERIENCE WITH THIS TEST IS THAT IF THE CRACK PERMEATES ENTIRELY THROUGH THE THICKNESS OF THE CROCK TO THE INSIDE, WATER WILL BEGIN TO BE OBSERVED ON THE OUTSIDE IN A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE CROCK IS FILLED WITH WATER. THE 2ND CONDITION ISSUE CAN BE FOUND IN THE LAST 2 PHOTOS. THERE CLEARLY WAS A CRACK AT THE TOP THAT TRAVELLED SEVERAL INCHES FROM ONE SIDE, ACROSS THE RIM, TO THE OTHER SIDE. A PREVIOUS OWNER HAS FILLED THIS IN WITH A GRAY SUBSTANCE/CLAY THAT IS A REASONABLY GOOD MATCH (ONE HAS TO BE CLOSE TO OBSERVE THE REPAIR). FIRST, THERE IS NO INDICATION OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY A BLOW TO THE CROCK THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THIS. SECOND, THE CRACK DOES NOT CONTINUE’FULL-CIRCLE’ ACROSS THE BOTTOM THAT WOULD INDICATE THAT THE CRACKED AREA WAS ONCE A PIECE THAT HAD BEEN EJECTED FROM THE CROCK AND RE-GLUED. INSTEAD, THE CRACK MAY HAVE FORMED FROM A STRESS IN THE CLAY PERHAPS DURING FIRING. TOTAL WEIGHT WILL BE AROUND 15 LBS. The item “A. CONRAD, NEW GENEVA, PA 2 GAL. STONEWARE CROCK withSTENCILLED COBALT DECORATION” is in sale since Sunday, December 5, 2021. This item is in the category “Antiques\Primitives”. The seller is “maeci8rwd” and is located in Cleveland, Ohio. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Dominican republic, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, El salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Viet nam, Uruguay.