The Passionflower Jug

A tall Belgian faience jug of the 1880s or 1890s, printed in purple transferware with passionflowers trailing across a cream ground. Purple is among the less common transfer colours — blue and brown were the everyday choices — and it reads warmer and softer than either. The glaze carries a fine, even crazing throughout, and the piece is otherwise without chips or cracks, including the scrolled rocaille handle that so often takes the first knock.

The oval mark on the base reads Opaque de Wasmuel around the initials A.M.C. — Auguste Mouzin & Cie, who ran the Wasmuël works in Hainaut from 1878 until 1899. Those initials close the dating at the turn of the century, which makes this a true antique of more than a hundred and twenty-five years. Opaque was the factory's trade name for its fine white earthenware: porcelain-like, but not translucent. Found in Bruges.

Generous in scale, it takes hydrangea, branches or dried grasses, and holds its own across a room.

Condition and patina consistent with age.

Approx. 11¾" high x 9¾" wide
Approx. 30cm high x 25cm wide

Shipping to the United States: the price you see includes all import duties and tariffs. Your piece travels DDP — Delivered Duty Paid — so there is nothing further to pay when it arrives, and no customs paperwork for you to deal with. Shipping is calculated separately at checkout. More on shipping & customs →