19th Century ‘Majolica’ Ceramic Jug with Intricate Bird’s Nest and Hatchling Motif

This is a beautiful piece of Majolica dating to the mid-to-late 19th century.

The jug is of classic form, with a flared angular rim that is moulded with a band of small circles over which are moulded flowers. The flowers are glazed in pink and lilac shades, and the spots are glazed in pale brown. This is bordered above and below with a horizontal piped band in yellow.

The body is intricately moulded with a charming scene depicting a bird’s nest amongst boughs of cherry blossom, with the hatchlings eagerly awaiting the return of their parent in anticipation of food. The circular motif continues in the background and is glazed in a very pale turquoise. The cherry blossom is picked out in pink and yellow, and the birds are in varying shades of brown. The leaves are multi-tonal, with splashes of yellow, green, and burgundy.

The angular handle has been moulded to echo the naturalistic theme in the form of a textured branch. There is a further vertical band of yellow piping running below the spout towards the base and also from the attachment of the handle. These are probably mould lines that have been incorporated into the design.

The jug sits on a galleried base, which has been glazed in yellow. The underside is unmarked and washed with a pale green-blue glaze.

The interior of the jug has a rather textured finish and is glazed in pink towards the base.

This piece has particularly subtle pastel shades of glaze, unlike the much gaudier Majolica items of the period.

It has a maximum height of approximately 16.4cm, with a diameter across the rim of about 8.9cm and across the base of about 9.0cm.

It has an unwrapped weight of 490g.

It is in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks, although there are a couple of gouges out of the base rim which are likely from the manufacturing process. There is also the odd burst bubble within the glaze, which is also a manufacturing artefact.