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Water jug: C.2345-1928

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An image of Water jug
An image of Water jug
Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Production: Olerys and Laugier factory

Entities

Categories

Description

Tin-glazed earthenware jug and cover, tin-glazed and painted in polychrome with figures, fantastic birds, and flowering plant sprays, and having a slightly domed cover attached by a pewter mount and hinged thumbpiece

Earthenware, tin-glazed and painted in blue, green, brownish-yellow and manganese-purples. The jug is baluster-shaped with a projecting lip, an applied roll handle with a 'kick' at the lower end, and a slightly domed cover attached by means of a pewter mount and hinged thumbpiece. It is decorated with flowering plant sprays, fantastic birds and grotesque and other figures arranged asymmetrically over the entire body and cover, and the handle is decorated with a wavy stem of flowers and leaves. On the base is the factory mark of script L in monogram with o, followed by C painted in brownish-yellow.

Notes

History note: Mr Cowie, 41, Shandwick Place, Edinburgh, from whom bought for £1.10.0 on 14 June 1901 by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge

Legal notes

Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Height: 21.8 cm
Height: 22.3 cm
Width: 15.8 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

18th Century, Mid
Louis XV
Circa 1745 - 1755

Note

The mark of an L and o in monogram on the base of this water jug stands for Olerys and Laugier .In 1737 Joseph Olerys (1697-1749) returned to Moustiers from Spain where he had been working at the Alcora faïence factory. The next year he founded a factory with his brother-in-law, Jean-Baptiste Laugier (1714-65). After Olerys' death, his son Joseph took his place, but in 1771 sold his share in the business to Jean-Baptiste Chaix, his brother-in-law. Probably in 1759 Laugier ceded his place to his son Joseph, and the firm of Laugier and Chaix continued to operate until 1790. This type of grotesque decoration with flowering plant sprays, trees, fantastic birds, grotesque and other figures arranged asymmetrically over the surface of tablewares was influenced by prints by Jaques Callot (1592-1635).

School or Style

Rococo

Components of the work

Decoration composed of high-temperature colours ( blue, brownish-yellow, green, and manganese-purple)
Mount And Thumbpiece composed of pewter ( probably)
Surface composed of tin-glaze
Body And Cover composed of earthenware
Foot Diameter 8 cm
Body

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: script L in monogram with o half way up the upright stroke of the L, followed by C

  • Text: Lo in monogram C
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Painted in faint brownish-yellow
  • Type: Factory mark

Inscription present: part of a white paper stick on label with a Prussian blue border with trefoil motifs in the top corners. Moustiers is underlined; No. 1300 is written sideways

  • Text: Faïence of/Moustiers/Bought at/Edinburgh/June 14,1901/No 1300
  • Location: Inside cover
  • Method of creation: Hand-written in black ink
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.2345-1928
Primary reference Number: 73384
Old object number: 1300

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 26 August 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Water jug" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/73384 Accessed: 2025-12-05 08:15:04

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/73384 |title=Water jug |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 08:15:04|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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