Mug

Date1685-1705

Possibly by Edward Burren (d. 1711)

MediumPewter

DimensionsOH: 5 7/8"; Diam (base): 4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1980-53

DescriptionMug: This splendid mug is representative of the earliest major type that dates from the last decades of the seventeenth century and into the first decade or so of the next century. It has a tall body with tapered straight sides that are usually bound by two broad bands and fitted with a slender strap handle.
Label TextThis splendid mug is representative of the earliest major type that dates from the last decades of the seventeenth century and into the first decade or so of the next century. It has a tall body with tapered straight sides that are usually bound by two broad bands and fitted with a slender strap handle. They are often inscribed with the name of a public house or its proprietors, and accordingly they are usually referred to as tavern pots.

This mug bears the same triad of owners' initials as the important one that is in the Neish Collection at the Museum of British Pewter. That one has the advantage of being further engraved with John Little's name, place of business, and the date, 1699. It is the work of Henry Frewen II of Reading. The "EB" touch mark on the CWF piece is unrecorded, yet, considering the shared owners' initials, it is tempting to attribute the mark of the CWF example to Edward Burren, who was the last apprentice of Henry Frewen II’s father. Having completed his apprenticeship by 1659, Burren is recorded in the Pewterers' Company's searches of Reading in 1669, 1677, 1683, 1692, and 1702. He died in 1711. There are, at present, no marks associated with him.

InscribedOwners' initials stamped on upper face of handle and on face of body to right of handle, possibly for John Little and his wife, who operated the Horse & Jockey, an inn in Reading, England.

MarkingsTouch mark "EB" with a small device above and below within a beaded circle on interior center-bottom of base.
ProvenanceVendor: Sotheby Parke Bernet & Co., London, 1980.

Exhibition(s)