Victorian Blue-Grey Stoneware Four Nations Albion Jug from William Brownfield, 1863

Description

Blue-grey, relief moulded, smear glazed, stoneware jug. Globular body with cylindrical neck and projecting lip, decorated in relief and moulded … more Blue-grey, relief moulded, smear glazed, stoneware jug. Globular body with cylindrical neck and projecting lip, decorated in relief and moulded in two parts. Applied, hand-modelled handle in the form of a twisted branch or vine. On the neck, the royal arms and prince of wales's feathers, each twice, above a ribbon impressed with the words 'ireland wales england scotland'. On the body, below each country name its coat of arms, each within a quatrefoil, beaded outline and separated by a shamrock, leek, rose and thistle and two ‘er’ monograms, all crowned. The outside is smear-glazed, the interior fully glazed and shiny. There is a narrow footring and the underside is recessed and smear-glazed. The pewter cover is hinged and has a small foliated thumbpiece.

inscription; on neck; impressed; ireland / wales / england / scotland
mark; underside of base; relief moulded with body; albion 24 cobridge wb; impressed into circular band surrounding diamond-shaped patent registration mark for 14 october 1863; '24' indicates size; factory mark in use from before 1863 until c.1875
mark; underside of base, near rim; impressed stamp; w.w.

collector's note:

william brownfield (d.1873), operating in partnership from 1837 and under his sole name from 1850, was one of the most prolific producers of relief moulded jugs. Between 1851 and 1883, the business registered 27 jug designs, noted by jewitt in 1878 as ‘a speciality of this firm and remarkably good’; some of these were decorated with enamels.
this jug commemorates the marriage of edward, prince of wales to princess alexandra of schleswig-holstein, which took place on 10 march 1863 in st george's chapel, windsor. The jug was produced both with and without a cover and in different stoneware colors, including blue; it seems to have sold well as it was still offered in the firm’s catalogue, circa 1876. Relief moulded jugs were popular in mid-19th century homes, where they were used for water, beer milk and other liquids which might now be kept in bottles, cans or plastic jars. The smear-glazing makes the most of the way that color-stained clays show off crisply-moulded ornament, whilst the stoneware is sufficiently durable for everyday use. I have official proof of authenticity such as vintage catalogs,
designer records,
or other literature sources and take full responsibility for any authenticity issues arising
from
misattribution less