Rare glazed red earthenware sleeping lamb, S. Bell and Sons (Samuel Bell, Charles Bell and Richard Franklin Bell) (act. 1882-1909) Strasburg, Shenandoah County, Virginia, 1882-1904

Dr. and Mrs. Henry P. Deyerle, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Sotheby’s New York, "The Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Henry P. Deyerle," May 26-27, 1995, lot 563

"The Shape of Things: Folk Sculpture from Two Centuries,” American Folk Art Museum, 1983

American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 162, fig. 128

Small chip glaze on nose. Overall excellent condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The figure of a reclining lamb was produced at the Bell family potteries in Strasburg after the death of Solomon Bell in 1882, at which time Samuel, Charles, and Richard Franklin Bell took over the production and marketing aspects of business.¹ Samuel moved to Strasburg in 1833, purchased an existing pottery from a German potter named Beyers, and began full operation the next year. Joined by Solomon, another brother, in 1837, the Bell brothers and their children formed one of the most creative and long-lived ceramic potteries in the South. The Bells produced a number of different forms using various molding techniques.

The reclining lamb, a biblical image and one that occurs frequently in folk traditions, popularly connoted peaceful rest and innocence in Victorian America.

¹ Surviving family records indicate that the impressed mark present on this figure was adopted after Solomon's death in 1882. It is thought to have been used until 1904; see Wiltshire, Shenandoah Valley.