I went on a house call the other day to look at (and potentially buy) some antique items. As I was led through the back garden to the house I spotted in one of the borders this interesting jug. The colour attracted me to it even though most of the jug was covered in soil and leaves. The owner was somewhat surprised that I wanted to acquire it as it had been discarded some years ago, but I saw that it had potential as a decorative item

Once home I gently cleaned the jug. Unfortunately, there was no trace of the spout when I retrieved this item, but the circular patch of earthenware is a clear indicator of where the spout was attached to the body and the hole in the body was also a give away !

This jug is of unknown date but in style is very similar to some Italian Firenze ceramic jugs sometimes called in French 'gargoulettes' (the translation being 'earthenware water jugs'). I have carefully removed the soil and cleaned the exterior and interior surfaces............. and found new homes for the snails and other rent-free squatters I found inside it. Part of the base was missing so the space has been filled in with Milliput earthenware epoxy filler

Fortunately, during the cleaning process, no more of the glaze was lost, but I decided to stabilize the exterior by applying a thin coat of pva as a consolidant as some of the glazing was a little weak due to frost damage

I am still convinced that this little jug was worth saving as a decorative piece. Its a finger in the air job to try and put a price on this one-off item so it is for sale as an auction item with no reserve. It needs to go to a loving home where it will be appreciated for what it is - an unpretentious small jug brought in from the frost, rain and cold - it needs to be kept warm and comfortable having endured a number of winters outside. An excellent decorative item for a homes' interior stylist

Dimensions:

Height: 27cms

Maximum width: 15cms

Base diameter: 9.5cms

Inside diameter of spout: 3.5cms

Outside diameter of spout: 5.25cms

Postage is just to the UK mainland with delivery being by UPS. As ever, personal collection from Buntingford, East Herts. SG9 is most welcome

Please see my other items which are predominantly 18th and 19th century in date