AN UNUSUAL SMALL DEVON SLIPWARE DATED HARVEST JUG 1788 |

Barnstaple or Fremington, perhaps by George Fishley, of bulbous form, affixed with a loop handle with coiled lower terminal, decorated beneath the spout in cream slip with the Royal coat-of-arms supported by a crowned lion and a unicorn beneath the initials GR, and beneath the handle with a roundel incised The Sacred gift/ of Friends[hip] take/ and keep it for the/ givers Sake/ 1788/ 1788.

Jonathan Horne, London, March 2000, bearing label
Vogel Collection no. 679

Jonathan Horne, A Collection of Early English Pottery, Part XX, Cat. no. 579

There are two flat chips to the rim and typical glaze loss to areas and extremities of handle. To the lower part of the side featuring the unicorn there is a repaired abrasion to the surface, perhaps from the time of production. The area is filled with a 'plug' of a composite material, approximately 0.6cm wide. The affected area is not visible in the interior of the jug. There is an associated hairline crack which extends vertically though the base and terminates at the footrim on the opposite side. There is a bruise chip to the left side of the body.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"Harvest jugs", are named so for their connection with carrying ale or beer to field workers during the harvest. A poetic example of this is recorded on a jug in the Plymouth City Museum, inscribed by the potter 'The Potter fashioned me complete, as plainly doth appear, for to supply the harvest men with good strong English beer...', referenced by Leslie B. Grigsby, English Slip-Decorated Earthenware at Williamsburg, Williamsburg, 1993, p. 33. The basic design of such vessels remained much the same throughout the 18th century and into the 19th century, where the Harvest theme was still incorporated into jugs as late as the 1850s. Two jugs dated 1857 and 1860 respectively are in the Collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

A slightly larger dated jug decorated with the royal arms, incised 'S. EVENS/ 1791', is illustrated by Leslie B. Grigsby, The Longridge Collection of English Slipware and Delftware, London, 2000, Vol. 1, pp. 144-145, S. 84; where the author notes two further examples decorated in this manner, one dated 1792, inscribed with the name 'F. DRAKE', and an undated example inscribed 'M^r Will^m Rdard'(?)

Another example with the same armorial was sold, Sotheby's, New York, February 22-23, 1988, lot 564.