Bidspirit auction | Unique Golden City, Colorado Copper-Glazed

Unique Golden City, Colorado Copper-Glazed Relief-Molded Earthenware / Yellowware Pitcher - Unique Golden City, Colorado Copper-Glazed Relief-Molded Earthenware / Yellowware Pitcher Lead-glazed with green splotching and metallic brown flecking over crudely-mixed yellowware/fire clay body, relief-molded ”Hanging Game” motif featuring deer, rabbits, etc. strung up around the pitcher's body, very thick molded handle, recessed underside with an applied blob of clay at its center which has been flattened and stamped ”GOLDEN CITY / POTTERY / & / FIRE BRICK WORKS”. Circa 1865-1882. Dimensions: 10 3/8” H, 6 3/4” D base. Condition: Heavy overall wear and some areas of glaze exfoliation including at spout and around high points of body; numerous clay inclusions/pop-outs and small firing flaws including a horizontal drying line near base, all as made. Provenance: The Stradling Study Collection. Purchased from Ted Geers, 05/12/1982. Catalogue Note: The Golden City Fire Brick Works came into existence during the late 1860s, barely a decade after the town of Golden was first settled. It was one of several local entrepreneurial ventures undertaken by early resident and businessman William A. H. Loveland (1826-1894), for whom the town of Loveland, CO is named. Loveland was one of the founders of the Colorado Central Railroad, and one of the most important local figures in Golden during the Colorado Territory era. He erected the Loveland Block - the oldest existing commercial brick structure in Colorado - out of which he ran a thriving mercantile business. The history of the Fire Brick Works itself is murky but a November 13th, 1867 article in the Omaha Herald describes Golden's ”large Pottery and Fire Brick establishment” as turning out 100,000 bricks annually, with capacity set to increase soon. The 1867 article briefly mentions that the ”Pottery department” was manufacturing ”jugs, jars, and various articles from clay” in the amount of 2,000 gallons per week. Despite the size of the operation, very few marked products seem to have survived from the firm. Two jars (one redware, the other a buff earthenware or fire clay like the present pitcher) are in the collection of Golden History Museum & Park with object ID nos. ”2023.050.001” and ”170.54.50”. The jars are fairly plain and wholly undecorated, in contrast to the ambitiously-conceived pitcher in the present lot. The piece reveals that Loveland's pottery attempted their own version of ”fancy” molded ware using the crude locally-available materials available to Loveland and his workers, likely on an experimental basis. It is unlikely that such products were commercially viable on the frontier due to the sheer expense involved with refining a usable clay body, creating/maintaining molds, and glazing the ware. Still, this pitcher's survival presents a fascinating view into an often-overlooked part of the pioneer experience (the necessity of local crockery manufacture) through the activities of one of Colorado's most prominent early citizens, W.A.H. Loveland. Auctioneer's Note: We are thrilled to bring the Stradling Study Collection to market in partnership with Connor Rush of SFR Antiques, whose help and scholarship enabled the completion of this session's catalogue. A bibliography for the sale can be found here: ( https://bit.ly/3RYodeh ). For questions about lots 1 through 111 in this sale, or for help accessing the bibliography, please reach out to connor@nyeandcompany.com. Condition: Condition reports are not provided in catalog descriptions. The absence of a condition report does not guarantee that the lot is in good condition or free from damage and wear. We encourage you to request a condition report and/or additional photos prior to bidding on any lot. We also recommend asking for a shipping quote before bidding. CASH, CASHIER CHECK, MONEY ORDER, AND WIRE TRANSFER ARE THE ONLY METHODS OF PAYMENT ACCEPTED FOR JEWELRY.