My name is Brandt Zipp. I am a partner in Crocker Farm, Inc., the nation's premier auction of antique American stoneware and redware pottery. We have sold many pieces for world auction records through the years, including the auction record for a piece of stoneware by Thomas Commeraw. But the work I am most proud of is our successful research into the lives of artisans who have been essentially lost to history. Some of the most celebrated work of American stoneware and earthenware potters is now routinely attributed to specific men or, in some cases, is newly recognized as valuable or historically important, because of our research and writings.
I am a 1999 graduate of Johns Hopkins University, where I was a decorated writer. I enjoy being able to combine my abilities as a writer with new discoveries in the research of antique American ceramics. My most recent published article, in the Autumn 2010 issue of Antiques and Fine Art Magazine, was the first of its kind on the essentially forgotten--but often celebrated--stoneware potters of Washington, D.C. You can read it here.
I consider my research on Thomas Commeraw to be the most significant I have ever undertaken, and have been working a long time to try to flesh out the life of a man whom history forgot. I am in the midst of writing my book on Commeraw's life and expect to complete it soon. As I come down the home stretch of this project, I am seeking more pictures of his work. Please contact me if you would like to participate.