This silver lustre pearlware jug dates from the first two decades of the nineteenth century, and was probably made in Staffordshire. The bracket handle shape is typical of jugs from this period.

The top of the jug is painted on the inside with a silver lustre band. The outside is decorated with a silver lustre stylized border of stiff leaves. The body is scattered with silver lustre sprigs and red star-shaped flowers. The front of the jug beneath the spout is moulded and painted to depict a smiling, black-bearded man. The opposing sides are similarly moulded and painted to resemble two grinning men. Bacchus was a popular subject for pottery jugs, particularly since many of them would have been used for pouring wine. Other subjects included demons and satyrs.

Silver lustre was obtained from platinum oxide, and the Wedgwood firm was amongst the first to use it in Staffordshire in around 1805. Lustre wares were also manufactured in Sunderland, Swansea and Leeds.

The pearlware glaze has gathered in lovely pools of blue, particularly around the handle and moulded decoration.

Condition: Good - no chips or cracks. Many earthenware jugs from this period show signs of wear to varying degrees, and the tip of the pourer in this case has been professionally restored to a very high standard. The painted decoration, mostly good, is a little rubbed on the noses, and the pearlware glaze is minutely crazed. The silver lustre decoration is good.

This is a handsome example of early nineteenth-century rustic pearlware, decorated with highly collectable silver lustre. It would make an attractive addition to any collection of English pottery.

Dimensions: Height 5" (12.7cm)

Geoffrey A. Godden, The Concise Guide to British Pottery and Porcelain.