Puzzle Jug thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 138, The Harry and Carol Djanogly Gallery

Puzzle Jug

ca. 1770-1775 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Puzzle jug, tin-glazed earthenware, with a buff coloured body and a greyish white glaze; entire base wiped clean of glaze. Body inscribed 'TRY HOW TO DRINK/ AND NOT TO SPILL/ AND PROVE THE/ UTMOST OF YOUR SKILL', within a border of rococo scrolls with a winged cupid's head above and a shell and lion's mask below, flanked by festoons of flowers. The handle and mouth are sponged. All the decoration is in blue.
The jug is slightly concave on underside, with a round handle with two attached ribs along its full length, with a hole in underside near the top. Three nozzles project from the mouth. (Alphabetic shape codes as used in appendix to Archer. Delftware. 1997)

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watch How was it made? A puzzle jug Puzzle jugs typically feature a taunt – challenging someone to drink from them without spilling the contents. This can be harder than it looks, as the neck of puzzle jugs contain holes! These wonderfully infuriating devices were used for tavern drinking games and hide an ingenious solutio...

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Tin-glazed earthenware, painted
Brief description
Puzzle jug, tin-glazed earthenware, probably Bristol, ca. 1770-1775.
Physical description
Puzzle jug, tin-glazed earthenware, with a buff coloured body and a greyish white glaze; entire base wiped clean of glaze. Body inscribed 'TRY HOW TO DRINK/ AND NOT TO SPILL/ AND PROVE THE/ UTMOST OF YOUR SKILL', within a border of rococo scrolls with a winged cupid's head above and a shell and lion's mask below, flanked by festoons of flowers. The handle and mouth are sponged. All the decoration is in blue.
The jug is slightly concave on underside, with a round handle with two attached ribs along its full length, with a hole in underside near the top. Three nozzles project from the mouth. (Alphabetic shape codes as used in appendix to Archer. Delftware. 1997)
Dimensions
  • Height: 24cm
  • Diameter: 14.4cm
Height: Ht. 24 cms (9 1/2 ins).() Diameter: D. 14.4 cms (5 5/8 ins)
Marks and inscriptions
'TRY HOW TO DRINK/ AND NOT TO SPILL/ AND PROVE THE/ UTMOST OF YOUR SKILL' (Decoration; Incorporated into the decoration on the body of the jug.; painted)
Object history
Purchased from Mrs M. Woods, Cirencester, 1896.
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic reference
Archer, Michael. Delftware: the tin-glazed earthenware of the British Isles. A catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: HMSO, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1997. ISBN 0 11 290499 8
Other number
D8. - <u>Delftware</u> (1997) cat. no.
Collection
Accession number
275-1896

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Record createdJanuary 29, 2000
Record URL
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