Cream Jug
Date1770-1800
OriginEngland, Staffordshire
MediumStoneware, salt-glazed, white
DimensionsOverall: 3 1/8 x 2 1/8 x 2 11/16in. (7.9 x 5.4 x 6.8cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. Harry H. Coon
Object number2005-19
DescriptionScratch blue white salt-glazed stoneware baluster shaped cream jug with reeded, extruded handle terminating in a pinch at the base. The scratched decoration consists of a foliate spray centered on the front of the vessel and an icicle pattern around the lower, baluster part of the jug.Label TextA variant of scratch blue pejoratively dubbed “debased” was produced in England from about 1765 to the early nineteenth century. Undoubtedly
inspired by German gray and blue stoneware, the English wares feature a finer, whiter body but were made in similar forms such as tankards and jugs. Distinguishing between English products and their German counterparts in newspaper advertisements and inventories
is next to impossible, but the number of shards of English debased stoneware found at archaeological sites after 1765 testifies to the popularity of these goods. Debased scratch blue is readily recognizable by its loosely executed decoration of foliage. Unlike the earlier wares in which cobalt is confined to incised lines, debased examples feature large areas colored with a flowing blue. Many examples also sport an applied medallion bearing a crowned “GR” or a profile portrait of King George III flanked by his initials. Royal portrait badges, however, appear to be uncommon—if not unknown—in the American colonies prior to the end of the Revolution, suggesting that the now-scarce simple crowned “GR” versions may predate the portrait examples.***
ProvenanceVendor: Alistair Sampson Antiques, Ltd., London
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