Hot Water Jug
1904 (design registered)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
As tea was served in the drawing room, often at some distance from the kitchen, jugs were used to carry and keep water hot until required to refresh the teapot. The cane-covered handle protected the user from the heat of the metal.
People
The hot water jug was designed by the Manx-born designer and teacher, Archibald Knox (1864-1933) who studied at the Douglas School of Art, specialising in Celtic art. He began his teaching career there. He arrived in London in the mid 1890s, designing for the pioneering retailer Liberty & Co. from about 1899. Archibald Knox became one of the ablest of the Liberty designers, displaying an easy mastery of the intricate interlacing ornament in the Celtic manner, as this hot water jug demonstrates. It was made in pewter by the Birmingham firm of W.H. Haseler who had already formed a working relationship with Liberty's to make most of their silver 'Cymric' range.
Time
A revival of interest in pewter, largely out of favour in England since the 18th century as a material for making fashionable table ware, had begun on the continent in France and Germany at the end of the 19th century. Arthur Lasenby Liberty (1843-1917), who founded Liberty & Co., began to import modern pewter from Germany in 1899. The success of this venture encouraged him to commission the 'Tudric' range, of which this hot water jug is an example, using designs from Rex Silver (1879-1965) and Archibald Knox.
As tea was served in the drawing room, often at some distance from the kitchen, jugs were used to carry and keep water hot until required to refresh the teapot. The cane-covered handle protected the user from the heat of the metal.
People
The hot water jug was designed by the Manx-born designer and teacher, Archibald Knox (1864-1933) who studied at the Douglas School of Art, specialising in Celtic art. He began his teaching career there. He arrived in London in the mid 1890s, designing for the pioneering retailer Liberty & Co. from about 1899. Archibald Knox became one of the ablest of the Liberty designers, displaying an easy mastery of the intricate interlacing ornament in the Celtic manner, as this hot water jug demonstrates. It was made in pewter by the Birmingham firm of W.H. Haseler who had already formed a working relationship with Liberty's to make most of their silver 'Cymric' range.
Time
A revival of interest in pewter, largely out of favour in England since the 18th century as a material for making fashionable table ware, had begun on the continent in France and Germany at the end of the 19th century. Arthur Lasenby Liberty (1843-1917), who founded Liberty & Co., began to import modern pewter from Germany in 1899. The success of this venture encouraged him to commission the 'Tudric' range, of which this hot water jug is an example, using designs from Rex Silver (1879-1965) and Archibald Knox.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pewter, with cane handle |
| Brief description | Pewter hot water jug, designer Archibald Knox, manufacturer W. H. Haseler, retailer Liberty & Co., 1904 |
| Physical description | Pewter hot-water jug, straight-died, with hinged lid, cane-covered handle. Celtic designs on jug, where it is met by base of handle. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Stamped on the base 'Rd.427010' over 'TUDRIC 0307' |
| Gallery label |
|
| Object history | From the 'Tudric' range of Liberty & Co. Ltd, London |
| Historical context | Arthur Lanesby Liberty began importing pewter from Germany in 1899, principally from Kayser of Krefield. A revival of interest in the design and manufacture of pewter as a material in its own right had started in France in the early 1890s and had subsequently spread to Germany. Liberty's introduction of German pewter met with instant success which encouraged him to initiate his own range under the name 'Tudric' in 1901. As with the allied Cymric venture for silver and jewellery, the designs were largely sold to Liberty's by the independent Silver Studio and were probably mainly conceived by Archibald Knox. It is often impossible to identify precisely who was individually responsible for each design because of Liberty's policy on insisting that only their own brand identification by carried on each product but this design was unusually registered in 1904 and can therefore be firmly attributed to Knox. By contrast with the Continental ware, the Tudric range was decorated simply with modifications of Celtic forms, augmented with floral and plant motifs. As with silver, it was Haseler's of Birmingham who undertook the manufacture of the Tudric range although prior to their involvement with Liberty's, they had no experience of manufacturing pewter at all. [Eric Turner, 'British Design at Home', p.92] |
| Summary | Object Type As tea was served in the drawing room, often at some distance from the kitchen, jugs were used to carry and keep water hot until required to refresh the teapot. The cane-covered handle protected the user from the heat of the metal. People The hot water jug was designed by the Manx-born designer and teacher, Archibald Knox (1864-1933) who studied at the Douglas School of Art, specialising in Celtic art. He began his teaching career there. He arrived in London in the mid 1890s, designing for the pioneering retailer Liberty & Co. from about 1899. Archibald Knox became one of the ablest of the Liberty designers, displaying an easy mastery of the intricate interlacing ornament in the Celtic manner, as this hot water jug demonstrates. It was made in pewter by the Birmingham firm of W.H. Haseler who had already formed a working relationship with Liberty's to make most of their silver 'Cymric' range. Time A revival of interest in pewter, largely out of favour in England since the 18th century as a material for making fashionable table ware, had begun on the continent in France and Germany at the end of the 19th century. Arthur Lasenby Liberty (1843-1917), who founded Liberty & Co., began to import modern pewter from Germany in 1899. The success of this venture encouraged him to commission the 'Tudric' range, of which this hot water jug is an example, using designs from Rex Silver (1879-1965) and Archibald Knox. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.238-1970 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | March 9, 2000 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
