Jug

Object Type
From the 1820s, jugs with relief-moulded decoration became a popular mass production article. These were relatively cheap to produce, as improvements in moulding techniques allowed the entire jug with its decoration to be moulded in one process. Jugs of this type were sometimes produced to commemorate particular events. This example was made to celebrate the Eglinton Tournament of 1839.

Historical Associations
In August 1839, Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, staged a Medieval-style tournament at Eglinton Castle in Ayrshire. Among the attractions were jousting knights in armour, as can be seen on the jug. The event appears to have been conceived as a show of chivalry and pageantry to make up for the disappointment of Queen Victoria's so-called 'penny coronation', the pomp and ceremony of which had been curbed by the Whig government. The tournament attracted around 100,000 visitors, some of whom had travelled on the recently opened railway from Ayr. However, the extravagant folly of the event was compounded by atrocious weather, which drenched the costumed guests and turned aspects of the pageantry into farce.