A Rare Liverpool Transfer-Printed Creamware 'John Adams' Pitcher

English, Circa 1798

one side with portrait of John Adams as president, flanked by allegories of Justice and Plenty, with puto bearing a Phrygian cap; the opposite with monogram EAS encircled by linked chain of sixteen states.
with Success to America and spread-winged eagle transfers beneath the spout.
Height 11 inches.

Provenance:

Purportedly presented as a gift to Betsey Scott (1779-1830) on the occasion of her marriage to John William Hancock (1774-1859), nephew of the eponymous signatory of the Declaration of Independence, November 19, 1799;

by descent within the family, thence acquired by an anonymous member of the Ceramics Study Club, Boston, Massachusetts;

purchased by R. Robert Leaviss, Fall River, Massachusetts;

Stephen A. Adams, Eleazer Arnold House, Great Road, Lincoln, Rhode Island, 1979;

later acquired by the present owner.

Literature:

Adams transfer inventoried as A.4 and illustrated p. 61 in David and Linda Arman's Anglo-American Ceramics, Part I: Transfer Printer Creamware and Pearlware for the American Market, 1760-1860, Oakland Press: Portsmouth, Rhode Island, 1998.

The pitcher has undergone significant restoration, which is immediately evident by its discoloration. Hairline crack present at mouth rim, with rubbing to handle and pronounced crazing beneath spout. Significant overspray visible under UV light examination. Please request additional images.

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Please email [email protected] for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

Ben Fisher

Managing Director, Furniture and Decorative Arts

[email protected]312.447.3270

Mr. Fisher rejoined the firm in 2019 after working as a specialist in the American Furniture and Folk Art department at Sotheby’s New York. His areas of expertise include 18th, 19th, and 20th century American, Continental, and English furniture, decorative and folk art. Before coming to Hindman in 2013, Mr. Fisher worked in European Furniture and Decorative Arts in Philadelphia. He began his career working for a prints dealer focusing on works from the 16th through the 20th centuries.

Leah Vogelpohl

AVP, Specialist, American Furniture, Folk, and Decorative Arts

[email protected]513.666.4960

Ms. Vogelpohl joined the firm in 2013 as a cataloger in the American and European Furniture and Decorative Arts department. She became a department specialist in 2017, focusing on American decorative arts and silver. She received a BA from the College of Charleston and an MLITT in Art History from the University of Glasgow.

American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts

A Rare Liverpool Transfer-Printed Creamware 'John Adams' Pitcher

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