Puzzle jug

Date1745 (dated)

Artist/Maker Donyatt Pottery

MediumLead-glazed earthenware (slipware)

DimensionsOH: 6 3/4"; Diam: (with handle) 6 1/8"; Diam: (without handle) 5 1/4".

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1957-172

DescriptionA small red bodied harvest puzzle jug dipped in light buff slip. Single holed "puzzle" mouthpiece on lip of neck pierced with three "X's" and two circles. Slip incised with zig zagging lines on lip and down spine of simple rolled handle. Cartouche in center of belly, opposite handle, inscribed "E + B/1745" surrounded by stylized foliate border. Cartouche flanked on either side by stylized tulips with scrolled leaves. Inscription above cartouche reads "Fill me full get it out how you will/1745". All but base of jug covered with yellow lead glaze with blotches of green.
Label TextPuzzle jugs, with pierced necks, hollow handles, and rims with straw-like nozzles, were popular as early as the seventeenth century for use in drinking games. The object was to cover the appropriate holes in the handle and rim in order to take a drink. Needless to say, the difficulty of the game increased with success.

This jug is decorated with large tulips. Below the pieced neck is the script inscription "Fill me full get it out how you will / 1745." On the belly opposite the handle are the initials "E+B" and the repeated date 1745. The styles of the decoration and inscriptions, the pattern of the neck piercing, and the green-blotched glaze tie this piece to the Donyatt Pottery in Somerset.
Inscribed"Fill me full get it out how you will / 1745" and "E+B / 1745".
MarkingsNone