jug « Past Imperfect, The Art of Inventive Repair

Archive for the ‘jug’ Category

Felspatic stoneware jug, c.1820

Friday, January 11th, 2019

This Dutch shape stoneware jug with a moulded fox hunting scene was made in Staffordshire, England, perhaps by Chetham and Woolley. It dates from 1810 to 1830. The top portion is glazed in cobalt blue and the lower portion is unglazed. It measures 3.5 inches high and is unmarked. I particularly like the molded screws on the handle.

After the spout became badly chipped or broke off entirely, the jug was taken to a silversmith, who created a silver replacement spout. Though a bit squatter than the original most likely was, it is well made and more importantly, allowed the jug to function once again.

This jug of similar form shows what the original spout on my jug might have looked liked.

Photo courtesy of Paul Bohanna Antiques

Tags:blue & white, English, metal spout, silver, Staffordshire
Posted in jug | 4 Comments »

Copper lustre jug with badminton decoration, c.1830

Sunday, September 9th, 2018

This English copper lustre jug with canary yellow and painted over transfer decoration of a woman and child playing badminton, dates from around 1830 and stands 5.75 inches high. It is not uncommon and I have seen dozens of examples of it in various sizes, all priced affordably.

What sets this particular jug apart from the other “perfect” examples are the inventive repairs. Unable to glue the original broken handle back on, a metalsmith in the 1800s fashioned an ornate replacement and used 2 metal staples to stabilize cracks. I find the metal handle quite pleasing, and am not at all bothered but the metal staples, which can be viewed as badminton birdies flying away.

This is what the jug looks like with its original handle intact.

Photo courtesy of Martyn Edgell Antiques

Tags:English, lustre, metal handle, pottery, staples/rivets, transferware
Posted in jug | No Comments »

Miniature Westerwald stoneware jug with silver handle, c.1750

Sunday, July 29th, 2018

This tiny hand-thrown, salt glazed, baluster form stoneware jug with cobalt decoration was a mystery to me when I purchased it two years ago. I found it in Hawaii, of all places, and the dealer knew nothing about it. The unusual silver replacement handle with a hand hammered band, and what appears to be a coiled snake at the base, threw me off. These details gave off a 70s vibe – more 1970s than 1770s. After a bit of research I discovered I had a miniature Westerwald jug, made in Germany around 1750 and possibly earlier. It stands just 3.5 inches high.

Not all miniatures were made for children to play with. Some were made by potters as souvenirs, while others were made possibly as salesmen samples. As with most pieces from my collection, we will never know how the original handle broke off. But it appears that the original owner must have truly treasured this tiny tank, as it was brought to a silversmith who fashioned a splendid silver replacement handle. Thank you to the unknown artist who transformed a broken jug into a unique conversation piece that has lasted over 250 years…and counting.

This miniature jug, with similar form and decoration, shows what the original handle on my jug might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of ebay

Tags:German, metal handle, miniature, silver, stoneware
Posted in jug | No Comments »

Small Sunderland jug “Great Australia”, c.1865

Sunday, May 20th, 2018

This small Dutch shape pearlware pottery Sunderland jug, commemorating the sailing ship “Great Australia”, stands 6.25 inches high. It was made in Sunderland, UK, c.1860-1870 and has pink lustre and dark red transfer decoration with over washes of yellow, green, and blue. The other side has the verse: “From rocks and sands and barren land. Kind fortune keep me free. And from great guns and woman’s tongues, Good Lord deliver me.” A nice sentiment, although not quite politically correct.

A tinker in the 19th century created the metal replacement handle with finger grip and a wide horizontal band, replacing the original broken pottery handle.

I purchased this jug and a medium size one from a London dealer earlier this year. Along with a large jug I purchased many years ago from a different dealer in London, I now have a trio of graduating size jugs, each with similar decoration and metal replacement handles. Take a look at the other two: Large Sunderland jug, c.1855, Medium Sunderland jug “Great Australia”, c.1865. I promise one day to snap a photo of all three jugs together.

This jug of similar form and decoration shows what the original handle on mine would have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tags:commemorative, English, metal handle, pearlware, pottery, transferware
Posted in jug | No Comments »

Mocha ware jug with wavy slip decoration, c.1830

Sunday, March 25th, 2018

This pearlware pottery jug is decorated with cream colored wavy parallel white slip lines and dots on wide blue bands. It was most likely made in England, circa 1830. It stands 7 inches high and is 9.5 inches from handle to spout.

Many things make this jug special, including the free spirit decoration and the wonderful tin replacement handle with thumb and finger grips. An added bonus is that it was once owned by the Master of Mocha, Jonathan Rickard, who purchased it in New Hampshire about 8 years ago. Jonathan wrote Mocha and Related Dipped Wares, 1770-1939, the preeminent book on the subject. I was fortunate to buy 4 pieces from his renowned collection and will post the remaining 3 in the coming months.

This jug, with similar form and decoration, shows what the original loop handle on my jug might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Tags:English, metal handle, pearlware, pottery
Posted in jug | No Comments »

Medium Sunderland jug “Great Australia”, c.1865

Sunday, February 11th, 2018

This Dutch shape pearlware pottery jug was made in Sunderland, England, c.1860-1870. It has dark red transfer decoration of the sailing ship “Great Australia” on one side and verses on the other side and front, accented with washes of pink lustre, yellow, green, and blue. “Great Australia” was built for Messrs Baines & Co. in Liverpool and launched in Decemeber 1860. Jug measures 8 inches high and 9.5 inches from handle to spout.

The large metal replacement handle with finger grip, thumb support, and a wide horizontal band were done by a tinker in the 19th century. As these jugs were prone to constant wear and tear, it was not uncommon for handles to break off and be replaced. Larger towns and cities had local tinkers but if you lived in a smaller town or village, you would bring your broken household items to itinerant tinkers, who would travel from town to town and set up on the side of the road or in the town square.

I love finding make-do’s in multiples and was thrilled to find this jug, which is one of a pair. Even better, they match a large jug I purchased many years ago with a similar metal replacement handle, making the set, graduating in size, a trio. Take a look at Large Sunderland jug, c.1855 the largest jug I previously posted.

This jug of similar form and decoration shows what the original handle on mine would have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tags:commemorative, English, metal handle, pearlware, pottery, transferware
Posted in jug | 3 Comments »

Chinese porcelain milk jug, c.1765

Sunday, January 28th, 2018

This baluster shaped milk jug with a molded spout was made in the style of European silver and decorated in the Famille Rose palette, using cobalt blue, green, puce, and iron-red enamels. It was made in China during the Qianlong period (1736-95) and measures 7 inches high.

Sometime in the late 1700s to middle 1800s, a metal handle wrapped in rattan was added, replacing the original broken one. To add insult to injury, the lid went missing at one point over the past 250+ years. It’s too bad a replacement lid wasn’t made at the time the original one was lost. I may attempt to make a new one, that is if my tin making skills improve.

This milk jug with similar form shows what the original handle on mine might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of ShangriLa

Tags:blue & white, Chinese, metal handle, porcelain, Qianlong, rattan
Posted in jug | No Comments »

South American chicha jug, c.1908

Sunday, October 8th, 2017

This baluster-form pottery chicha jug was made from natural red clay in Boliva or Peru in 1908. It is decorated with deep carvings, including “Indio” faces and geometric forms and measures 5.75 inches high and 5 inches wide. On the underside is a bold incised mark “1908 EA.” Chicha is a fermented beverage made in South and Central America from grains, maize or fruit.

A true survivor, this little jug suffered much damage early on but is still intact 109 years later. With its elaborate design and intricate details, it must have been treasured by its owner and was preserved for future generations using whatever materials were available. By wrapping thin leather strips tightly around the multiple fractures, the jug was able to function once again and saved from the junk pile. It goes without saying that I am certainly glad it wasn’t just thrown out with the garbage.

Tags:leather, pottery
Posted in jug | 2 Comments »

Blue transfer printed pearlware jug, c.1825

Saturday, August 5th, 2017

This Dutch form pottery jug with pearlware glaze and sparrow beak spout was made in England in the first quarter of the 19th century. Standing nearly 4.25 inches high and 5.75 inches from handle to spout, it has blue transfer decoration, combining a pastoral scene with a shepherd, ancient ruins, and a lush border of flowers and fruit along the rim.

Well over 100 years ago, the original loop handle became detached and immediate surgery was needed. Luckily for the jug and its owner, a tinker made a metal replacement handle and bolted it to the jug. To help mask the repair, the new handle was painted blue and white to match the existing decoration. Curiously, a hole on the side was filled with lead, much like a cavity in a tooth. Not the most elegant repair job I have seen but it certainly does the trick.

This jug with similar form and decoration shows what my jug might have looked like before its accident.

Photo courtesy of eBay

Tags:blue & white, English, metal handle, pottery, transferware
Posted in jug | 1 Comment »

Ridgway relief molded jug, c.1835

Saturday, June 24th, 2017

This relief molded salt glaze jug from 1835 was made in England by Ridgway. It is decorated with scenes from Robert Burns’ poem, “Tam O’Shanter,” written in 1790. It measures 6.75 inches tall and is incised on the underside: “Published by W. RIDGWAY & CO. MANLEY, October 1, 1835.”

Although this jug maintains its original pewter lid, its overscaled ear-shaped metal handle is a replacement, made by a tinsmith over 150 years ago.