AN ENGLISH DELFTWARE CAT-FORM JUG CIRCA 1670 |

modeled seated, its coat decorated with alternating horizontal bands of manganese and blue stripes, with manganese paws and tail.

Christie's London, December 10, 1979, lot 5
Jonathan Horne, London, March, 1985, bearing label
Vogel Collection no. 416

Jonathan Horne, A Collection of Early English Pottery, Part V, Cat. no. 116

There is a fine hairline crack at the rim which runs through the cat's left ear vertically down to the base, extending to the reverse underside of the rim. At its tail a second faint crack extends horizontally slightly. Minor chipping to extremities. In overall good appearance.
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.

Although usually referred to as jugs, the exact function of these figural vessels is not known. Eight dated examples with variations in decoration are illustrated by Louis L. Lipski and Michael Archer, Dated English Delftware, Tin-Glazed Earthenware 1600-1800, London, 1984, pp. 227-228, cat. nos. 1001-1008, the earliest example bearing the inscribed date 1657 and the latest 1676. Michael Archer mentions in Delftware in the Fitzwilliam Museum, London, 2013, p. 188, that there are at least thirteen examples of this form, the majority of which bear initials and dates, hinting that these objects were most likely meant as sentimental gifts for commemoration. The majority of the known examples are decorated with striped fur, similar to the present example, with slight variations in the molding. Archer also mentions ibid, p. 188, that excavated fragments of this form reveal that they were made at Montague Close and Pickleherring in Southwark and at Vauxhall in Lambeth. John Austin illustrates the Colonial Williamsburg example in British Delft at Williamsburg, Williamsburg, 1994, cat. no. 716, p. 285, where he mentions that fragments of a similar example were excavated near Williamsburg at the seventeenth-century Drummond site at Governor's Island.

Similar un-initialled and undated examples were sold at Sotheby's London, April 21, 1998, lot 146 and at Bonham's London, October 13, 1992, lot 28.