Puzzle Jug

CultureEnglish
Titles
  • Puzzle Jug
Datec. 1740–1780
Made inEngland
MediumSalt-glazed stoneware with cobalt
Dimensions7 5/8 × 6 1/4 × 4 5/8 in. (19.4 × 15.9 × 11.7 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Martha and James Alexander
Object numberB.2001.1
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Kilroy Center
Exposé

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionGerman and Dutch potters introduced the technique of making salt-glazed stoneware to England in the 1600s. Durable and hygienic, salt-glazed stoneware gained great popularity in the 1700s, eventually surpassing that of delftware. While English potters made salt-glazed stoneware with various body colors and decorated it with colored slips and enamels, much was white with molded decoration and sometimes with elaborate piercings. A puzzle jug was a trick drinking vessel that challenged the drinker to drain the contents without spilling. The solution required the covering of certain holes and spouts with the fingertips while sucking the liquid through one of the spouts.
Provenance[M. & P. Warren Antiques, Southport, Connecticut]; purchased by MFAH, 2001.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
[no marks]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Jug
William Saenger
c. 1886–1905
Salt-glazed stoneware with applied cobalt capacity mark and wavy line
B.2012.122
Two-Gallon Jug
c. 1870–1900
Salt-glazed stoneware with applied cobalt capacity numeral
B.2012.197
Three-Gallon Jug
c. 1870–1900
Salt-glazed stoneware with applied cobalt capacity numeral and decoration
B.2012.198
Temperance Jug
John Lewis Stone
c. 1870–1872
Salt-glazed stoneware with cobalt and slip decoration
B.2015.8
Jug
J. B. Caire & Co.
c. 1842–1852
Salt-glazed stoneware with cobalt
B.72.23
Jug
J. Norton & Co.
c. 1859–1861
Salt-glazed stoneware with cobalt
B.72.24
Jug
Ottman Brothers & Co.
c. 1872–1892
Salt-glazed stoneware with cobalt
B.68.16
Jug
J & E Norton
c. 1850–1861
Salt-glazed stoneware with cobalt
B.73.8
Water Bottle
c. 1750–1765
Salt-glazed stoneware
B.56.73
Jug
Guadalupe Pottery Company
c. 1857–1869
Alkaline-glazed stoneware with salt drops
B.2012.127
Loving Cup
c. 1762
Salt-glazed stoneware with cobalt
B.2022.8
Sauceboat
c. 1750–1760
White salt-glazed stoneware with cobalt (Littler’s blue)
B.2018.6