While the exact origin of this large porcelain pitcher is not entirely clear, its purpose is undisputed. The pitcher was ordered as a salute to General Zachary Taylor's brilliant victory at Buena Vista, Mexico, on February 23, 1847, where, commanding an inexperienced army of about 5,000 troops, he soundly defeated the 15,000 man force of General Antonio de Santa Anna. The victory made Taylor an instant hero and led to his election to the White House in 1848. The battle scene, based on the 1847 engraving by H. R. Robinson (see B.69.278), is painted with great detail on one side; Taylor's portrait appears on the other. An 1848 engraving made by Alexander Ritchie (1822–1895) after a daguerreotype of Taylor provided a widely disseminated image, but the portrait here differs in such details as the closeness of Taylor's eyes and coloring of the neckerchief, suggesting another unidentified source. Taylor’s fondness for casual dress earned him the nickname "Rough and Ready,” which appears in Gothic letters under the pitcher's spout. The porcelain body and design, particularly the rococo ruffles behind the upper edge of the spout, do not relate to mid-century American porcelain pitchers. The practice of importing blank French porcelain for decoration in New York was not uncommon. At the time the most prominent practitioner of this method was the firm of Haughwout and Daily who were described as "... engaged in decorating porcelain which is imported or manufactured for them." It is possible that this pitcher was commissioned from them in celebration of Taylor's remarkable victory.

Related Examples: There is a body of painted presentation porcelain decorated in New Orleans by Rudolph T. Lux (ca. 1815–1868), who emigrated from Germany in 1857. However, Lux usually signed his pieces. In addition, Lux's style was more relaxed than the work on the Bayou Bend pitcher, and his subjects were usually placed in a large reserve rather than a tight oval. A small pair of Rockingham pitchers—one bearing "Rough” and the other "Ready” on the hat—attests to Taylor's popularity (Barret 1958, p. 324, pl. 425).

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.