jug « Past Imperfect, The Art of Inventive Repair

Archive for the ‘jug’ Category

Swansea cherub jug, c.1855

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Welsh pottery jug in the “Idle Apprentice” pattern made in Ynysmeudwy, West Glamorgan county, Southwest Wales

Jug measures 6″ high and is brightly decorated in polychrome glazes and pink lustre highlights

Relief design including a single cherub, grape clusters, flowers and scrollwork is found on both sides of the jug

Broken ceramic handle has been repaired with a crudely made metal replacement, including a multi-piece support band encircling the jug…

and wrapping around the broken handle fragment at the bottom

This same shaped jug in white, and more somberly decorated in copper lustre, shows its original ornate handle

Photo courtesy of Dorian’s Antiques

Tags:lustre, metal handle, pottery, Welsh
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Chinese export hot-milk jug, c.1770

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Ribbed body ovoid form jug with sparrow beak spout is made of porcelain and has finely painted iron-red & gilt floral and scroll decoration. It was made in China between 1750-90 for export to Europe and North America

Jug stands 7-1/4″ and has sustained much damage over the past 135 years. In addition to the obviously replaced handle, the lid is cracked, chipped and is missing its pomegranate finial

The iron replacement handle is covered in woven rattan, itself in need of repair. There are layers of exposed insulating fabric between the metal and the exterior rattan surfaces

Twine was used to tie the lid to the handle, a practical yet unattractive way of keeping these two pieces from separating

This pot shows what the original handle might have looked like

Photo courtesy of Eldred’s

Tags:Chinese, metal handle, rattan
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Two “Epsom Cup” jugs, c.1850

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Each of these polychrome decorated jugs was purchased separately and in different countries one year apart. Both have the same relief stag & dog decoration and possess a similar metal replacement handle. They were most likely made in Staffordshire, England.

The larger jug (left) has pink lustre decoration and measures 6.5 inches tall. It was purchased in the UK, not far from where it was made.

The smaller jug (right) was found in Maine and has a polychrome flow blue and pink lustre decoration. It stands 6inches tall.

Both jugs have tin replacement handles of a similar design

“EPSOM CUP” is impressed only on the larger jug

These three jugs of graduating size still have their original branch form handles

Photo courtesy of WorthPoint

Tags:English, metal handle, pottery, Staffordshire
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“Actress” glass jug, c.1879

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Early American Pattern Glass (EAPG) cream jug in the “Actress” pattern, featuring cameo portraits of Miss Neilson and Fanny Davenport, with their names indicated below each portrait. Pressed, non-flint glass creamer measures 6″ high. Made in Ohio by many glass companies including LaBelle Glass Co. in 1872 and Crystal Glass Co. in 1879. Adams & Co. of Pittsburgh, PA also produced this popular pattern starting in 1880.

Lillian Adelaide Neilson (March 3, 1848-August 15, 1880) was a pseudonym of Elizabeth Ann Brown. She was an English born Shakespearean actress, best known in America for performing the role of Juliet at New York City’s Booth Theatre in 1872.

Fanny Lily Gipsy Davenport (April 10, 1850-September 26, 1898) was born in London, England and brought to America when she was a child and educated in Boston. In 1862 at the age of twelve, she appeared in at New York City’s Niblo’s Garden as the King of Spain in Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady.

Replaced trapezoid-shaped wood base appears a bit clunky, but allows the jug to function once again.

This glass jug shows what the original base looked like before it snapped off.

Photo courtesy of Ruby Lane

Tags:American, glass, wood base
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“Stone China” transferware jug, c.1830

Friday, May 14th, 2010

“Filled-in transfer” is the term describing the of use of multicolor enamel washes over printed transfer decoration. This English “Dutch” shape jug was most likely made by Spode, founded by Josiah Spode in Stoke-on-Trent in 1767. His “Stone China” line, a new type of stoneware that gave the appearance of porcelain, was introduced in 1813 to great acclaim.

This oriental style of decoration copied the popular Chinese export porcelains of the 18th & 19th century.

Jug measures 5″ high by 7″ wide.

Cobalt blue transfer mark printed on the bottom includes the ubiquitous lion and unicorn.

Tin handle has rusted over the years but still functions as a practical replacement.

This jug with similar form and transfer decoration maintains its original handle.

Photo courtesy of Hudson Antiques

Tags:English, metal handle, pottery, transferware
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Child’s cream jug, c.1840

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

This small pottery creamer from a child’s tea service is 3 inches tall and has green transfer decoration depicting a woman with a basket of flowers and a castle in the distance.

This close up shows the pointillist transfer decal decoration in “high definition”.

A crudely made copper armature was attached as the base structure for a replacement handle. Many layers of gesso and enamel matching the original colors were applied over this, but have since fallen away.

Another jug with similar form and decoration suggests what the handle on my little jug may have looked like.

Photo courtesy of eBay

Tags:English, metal handle, porcelain, transferware
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Silver resist lustre jug, c.1820

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

This soft paste pottery “Dutch” shape jug is decorated in a stylized grape leaf pattern using a silver resist method of decoration. This type of decoration is achieved by painting the design with a resist substance such as thinned honey, applying the silver glaze over the entire jug, washing off the resist to reveal the unglazed decoration and firing to set the silver lustre background

Silver lustre, or “poor man’s silver” was first introduced in the 18th century by John Hancock for Spode. It remained popular throughout the 19th century, until the invention of electro plating brought silver plated items in to the masses in 1838. This jug measures 4-3/4″ tall

Tin was used to fashion a replacement handle and strap, most likely by an itinerant tinsmith or china mender

Another silver resist lustre jug shown with its original handle with the same silhouette as the replacement

Photo courtesy of John Howard

Tags:English, lustre, metal handle, pottery, soft paste
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Flow blue jug, c.1840

Friday, April 16th, 2010

“Flow blue” describes a technique of firing transferware pottery with lime or ammonia chloride added to the kiln, resulting in an intentional blurry or runny effect. Over 1,500 different patterns were produced throughout Europe, England and the United States during the Victorian era