Bidspirit auction | Signed York County, Pennsylvania Redware

Signed York County, Pennsylvania Redware Bottle / Jar - Signed York County, Pennsylvania Redware Bottle / Jar Lustrous brown/black manganese or iron slip glaze with moderate pseudo-crawling over brick red earthenware body, footed ovoid form with outwardly flared mouth. Stamped ”J. B. & Co.” below shoulder, also inscribed in pencil on underside: ”Made by Frederick Kugler at Elcock Pottery Near Siddonstown Penn” and a year, possibly ”1870”. Dimensions: 6 3/8” H, 3 3/4” D base. Condition: One large chip to rim at front and some exfoliation to glaze around the rest of the rim. Provenance: The Stradling Study Collection. Purchased from Eagle Hotel Antiques (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) 09/05/1976. Catalogue Note: This pot appears to be associated with an obscure group of potters in Siddonstown (now Siddonsburg) in York County, PA. The ”Elcock Pottery” mentioned in the inscription seems to be the one owned by John Elcock Jr., which was located on the north side of Siddonsburg in Monaghan Township. In the 1870 census, Elcock is listed there as a potter, and in the same household, there is also a German immigrant named Godper (or possibly Godfrey) Kugler, who is also listed as a potter (Lasansky 1979, p. 19). So there was at least one Kugler potting at the Elcock Pottery near Siddonstown, as stated in the inscription. But if ”Frederick” was associated with this operation as well, he has escaped identification, or at least he could not be located in the 1870 census (or any other for that matter). There are certainly some gaps in the historical record which need to be filled in, but the York Gazette does report in 1861 that a ”Frederick Kugler” of ”Shrewsbury borough” was married, and a couple decades later the York Daily reports on the death of a ”Frederick Kugler” at the Alms House, aged 59. Perhaps this is the same man - if so, presumably a relation of the Kugler who potted for Elcock - or perhaps further research is needed to properly identify the maker of this jar. As for the ”J. B. & Co.” stamp - it's unclear why Elcock would have had wares stamped with somebody else's initials at his pottery, but a man with those initials appears in the same household in 1870 - ”John Burgerd”, who is listed as a teamster. Whether Burgerd was also a potter is unknown, but he clearly had some relationship to the pottery, perhaps as the peddler of the ware. Once again, further research is probably needed to untangle these men's relationships and the reasons for the stamp to appear to refer to Burgerd. 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.