Fishley Holland Studio Pottery Jug with Dragonfly Motif

This is a stunning, handmade studio pottery jug produced at the Clevedon Pottery, which was operated by numerous members of the Fishley Holland family.

The jug is of classic form, with a flared rim from which the spout has been formed. There is a short neck before it widens out to form the inverted ovoid body, tapering in towards the base. There is a strap-like handle applied below the rim, reattaching about halfway down the body.

The interior is glazed in a pale turquoise shade. The exterior is decorated with a stylised dragonfly motif on either side of the handle. Their details have been incised in the sgraffito technique, and the wings have been painted by hand. Between the two motifs is a stylised foliate motif and an underlining squiggle, which I believe denotes water.

These motifs have been glazed in a creamy white shader; the remainder of the body is glazed in the classic Fishley Holland mottled-grey shade.

The underside of the jug is crudely finished and incised off-centre with the initials ‘FH’, which stands for ‘Fishley Holland’.

It has a height of approximately 16.0cm, with a width across the rim of about 8.0cm and across the base of about 6.0cm.

It has an unwrapped weight of 550g.

It is in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks, although there is fine crazing to the glaze on the interior.