Jug, fragmentary, tin-glazed earthenware painted in green and brown. Italian, possibly made in Orvieto, late 14th century.

Pear-shaped body of a jug of buff-coloured earthenware; the neck and handle are missing. The body is covered with a thin tin-glaze, except the lowest part which is covered with a plain lead glaze as is the interior. An image of a stag with antlers appears on one side of the body, painted in green (copper) and outlined in purple (manganese). To its right there is a long frond of foliage which most likely, based on similar examples, extended from the stag's mouth.

Given by Sydney Vacher

Sydney Vacher gave this and 5 other pieces of 'Orvieto ware' to the museum in 1914. He had acquired these at the Marcioni and Lucatelli sale at Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, (16-17 Feb.1914) from the collections formed by Signor Avvocato Marcioni and Cavaliere Capitano Lucatelli of Orvieto.
This jug was recorded as having been dug up in Orvieto.
It is likely that the jug was found in a similar context to other pieces of maiolica known to have been found in pozzi (wells) in Orvieto. Around the turn of the 20th century, a great deal of building work was going on in Orvieto including replacing the old medieval system of plumbing. Many pieces of so-called 'archaic maiolica' were brought up out of wells and thus from unstratified contexts.

Found in Orvieto.

C.116-1914