Grotesque spoon warmer by Robert Wallace Martin, signed and dated Southall 19 February 1881, estimate $5000-8000 at Rago.
His generosity effectively transformed the Met's holdings in American art pottery and pioneering late 19th and early 20th century European ceramics.
His wide interests – from Fulper stonewares to French ceramicists such as Ernest Chaplet and Adrien Dalpayrat – are evident from more than 140 works offered by Rago in Lambertville, New Jersey, on February 28.
The base of the grotesque spoon warmer by Robert Wallace Martin, estimate $5000-8000 at Rago.
Alongside some exceptional pieces by the Biloxi, Mississippi, potter George Ohr (Ellison wrote a book on Ohr in 2006 and curated the 2020 exhibition Shapes Out of Nowhere) are several pieces by the Martin Brothers.
This characterful grotesque spoon warmer, above, by Robert Wallace Martin, signed and dated Southall 19 February 1881, has a guide of $5000-8000.
