Jug, tin-glazed earthenware, polychrome painted, Morocco (Fez), ca. 1865

Earthenware jug with one handle, bulbous body and flared neck. Glazed in white with polychrome decoration on the exterior.

Given by George Maw / Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology

Accessions register entry: 'Jug of enamelled buff-coloured earthenware, painted in colours. MOORISH (Fez); 19th century. H. 6 in., diam. 4 1/8 in. Given by George Maw, Esq., F.G.S., F.S.A. Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street.
Inverted bell-shaped, with loop handle. Painted with a row of lozenges in oblong compartments between two bands of conventional foliage in blue, green and yellow outlined with manganese-purple. The edge, handle, and two spots on the body from which the enamel has been chipped away are coloured bright red.'

This jug was made in Fez, an important centre for Moroccan pottery, where professional male potters created decorative tableware for urban consumers. It was acquired by George Maw, founder of Maw & Co., a British manufacturer of ceramic tiles. Maw initially donated the jug to the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street, London but in 1901 most of the Museum's ceramic holdings were transferred to the South Kensington Museum (later V&A), including this item.

4237-1901