An American ceramic masterwork, the stoneware cooler from Philadelphia, 20 gallon capacity, with profuse incised bird and flowering plant motif and brushed flowering plant motifs, is stamped PHILADELPHIA / A D / MDCCCXXVIII and JK, attributed to Henry Remmey Jr., Philadelphia, 1828. The cooler will be in Crocker Farms fall sale running Oct. 31 to Nov. 10. Among the most lavishly decorated early American ceramic objects known, this extraordinary creation ranks among the masterworks of Remmey family stoneware produced in America. Imposing in its proportions, the cooler reveals Henry Remmey Jr.s abilities as a master of his medium as both a potter and decorator. While showcasing the incised decorative treatment of his birthplace, Manhattan, in its over-the-top flowering plant bearing four birds, the cooler also displays a growing change in style throughout the Mid-Atlantic stoneware school in its exuberant brushwork on the reverse. Elaborate horizontal daisy motifs appear at the shoulder and base, incised on the former and brushed on the latter. Clearly made as a statement piece just one year after Remmeys arrival in Philadelphia (after working with his father for 15 years in Baltimore), the cooler features a cleverly sculpted bunghole in the form of a stylized flowerpot, proudly touting the name of the potters new city of production. The highly unusual Roman numeral date, AD / MDCCCXXVIII, also impressed on the bunghole, highlights the import of this work, a classically inspired monument in clay, to Remmeys oeuvre. The initials, JK, impressed on one of the coolers rare tripartite handles, may refer to the coolers owner. Superlatives cannot adequately express the significance of this object as a work of both ceramic art and a piece emblematic of the American style of stoneware production. Recently discovered, the cooler includes some professional restoration to damage, most or all of which was incurred during the firing. It stands 33 inches high. To learn more, visit www.crockerfarm.com.