The Ivoire Jug

An antique French faience jug of the later nineteenth century, the cream body moulded in a soft spiral rib and printed in brown with flowering sprays hand-coloured over the print in red, green and soft blue. A hinged pewter lid rises from the top of the handle, with a cast palmette thumbpiece and a profiled rim, and the base is marked IVOIRE — a ware name rather than a maker. Fine crazing runs through the glaze and a warm staining has settled inside, the quiet residue of long use.

Lidded jugs of this kind stood on tables across France, Belgium and the Rhineland through the nineteenth century, the pewter cover there to keep dust and insects out rather than to hold heat. That the lid survives at all is the notable thing — it is the first part of such a jug to disappear, and this one sits firm on its hinge.

It reads beautifully on open shelving, and holds a generous armful of branches.

Condition and patina consistent with age.

Approx. 8¾" high x 6" wide x 4" deep
Approx. 22cm high x 15cm wide x 10cm deep

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