Sunderland Pink Splash Lustre Jug, Iron Bridge Over The Wear, Named And Dated 1859

An English Sunderland pink splash-lustre pearlware presentation jug, made in the Sunderland area of north-east England and dated 1859. It has a substantial globular Dutch-shaped body rising to a cylindrical neck, with a projecting pouring spout and a large loop handle.

The jug is decorated with black transfer printing, hand-coloured in green, red, blue and yellow, and enriched with pink and coppery-purple splash-lustre decoration characteristic of Sunderland pottery. The principal panel shows the historical view titled "A West View of the IRON BRIDGE over the WEAR under the Patronage of R. BURDON Esqr. M.P.", depicting Wearmouth Bridge, vessels on the River Wear and its banks. The reverse carries the verse headed "Friendship, Love and Truth", enclosed within a floral and strawberry border.

Beneath the spout, a hand-painted presentation inscription reads "James Nye", set against a stylised pink-lustre flowering stem and dated "1859" below. Jugs of this type were commissioned as commemorative gifts, typically presented within a congregation, a trade society or a family. A James Nye (1822-1892) is recorded as an East Sussex violin maker and composer of sacred music, a committed Calvinist living within the independent Baptist community, who later published a volume of travel journals and memoirs recording aspects of Victorian working-class life. He would have been thirty-seven in 1859, and the devotional verse on the reverse would suit such a recipient, though no documentation accompanies the jug linking it to him.

The underside has a fine network of tight age-related crazing and retains an old paper auction label bearing the collection number 245.

Dimensions: height 18.7 cm; width 22 cm; diameter 17.5 cm; weight 1019 g. Condition: the tip of the spout is worn, and its interior and exterior have been restored and repainted. A small internal hairline does not extend through the body. There is minor wear to the metallic purple lustre. UV examination found no other damage or restoration to the body, and all polychrome printed decoration remains in excellent condition. Overall in very good antique condition. Please study the accompanying photographs carefully as they form an integral part of this description. If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them. The item will be shipped with full tracking and insurance. Shipping costs include handling, packaging and postage.