PAIR OF STAFFORDSHIRE LEAD-GLAZED CREAM-COLORED EARTHENWARE 'CORNUCOPIA' WALL POCKETS CIRCA 1765

Theodore A. Wiedemann, New Hope, Pennsylvania.

The one with the bottom curving to the right: The top section at the rim has been broken into several pieces and restored back; the breaking points are visible and there are several small associated rim chips. Otherwise in good condition. The other: The top of one pierced hole at the top is chipped; there is an approximate 1/4-inch chip to the rim edge on the back and some pinhead chips to the rim edge. The lower tail section of the pocket has been broken off and restored back.
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.

'Cornucopia' wall pockets of this type are found in both salt-glazed stoneware and cream-colored earthenware bodies. According to David Barker, William Greatbatch, a Staffordshire Potter, p. 95, an invoice of 1764 lists block molds supplied by Greatbatch to Wedgwood, which includes '1 pr. Cornu Copias'. Furthermore, in the beginning of the twentieth century, thirty-eight block molds including a pair of cornucopia examples were excavated in the Wedgwood factory at Etruria. However, a direct link between the invoice and the blocks at Etruria cannot be proven with certainty. A pair of white salt-glazed stoneware wall pockets of this form is illustrated, ibid, p. 94, pl. 8 and another single salt-glazed stoneware example is illustrated in David Barker and Pat Halfpenny, Unearthing Staffordshire, p. 69, fig. 54, where the authors further convey that a direct attribution of the cornucopia wall pockets to Greatbatch is unlikely given the large number of surviving examples.