Puzzle jug

Date1766

MediumTin-glazed earthenware (delft)

DimensionsOH: 8 5/8"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1951-127

DescriptionPuzzle jug, bulbous bodied jug with high pierced neck modeled as a grotesque face, collared tubular rim with three spouts, perforated strap handle with thumb rest, and flared base. Tin glaze covered with powdered cobalt; a bluish cartouche reserve on the front, inscribed in blue: "I Bromwell / A Freind may taste / But dont Wast / 1766." The jug's neck is in the form of a head, and the open mouth is part of the piercing.
Label TextUnlike most puzzle jugs, which have purely geometric piercing, this one's neck is in the form of a head, and the open mouth is part of the piercing. A privately owned salt-glazed stoneware puzzle jug of similar form is dated 1741. It appears to have been produced by the same source as a stoneware puzzle goblet also dated 1741, a fragment of which was excavated in London in the Vauxhall pottery area.
InscribedBody inscribed "I Bromwell / A Freind may taste / But dont Wast. / 1766."
MarkingsNo
ProvenanceF. L. Berry
D. M. & P. Manheim, London `