How many come up for sale each year?

Around eight of these jugs come to market on Sellingantiques in a year, so the category turns over slowly. Thirty-two different dealers have listed one. That's a very wide spread for a small category, which means almost no dealer carries them in any depth.

What does the pattern name in a title mean?

It's the named design the jug carries, and it's how the trade sorts these pots. Fisherman, Dragon, Pine Cone, Claremont, Trophies Marble, Italian Marble, Drape, Harlech and Gwent all appear. "Pattern" is the single commonest word in these titles, in one in five of them.

Which materials do these jugs come in?

Four bodies turn up: porcelain, earthenware or pottery, ironstone, and tin-glazed delftware. Porcelain accounts for eight titles, against a larger body of pottery, ironstone and delft. Decoration varies with the body. Hand-painted underglaze, transfer-printed, relief-moulded and flow blue all appear across the archive.

Are jug and bowl sets part of this category?

Yes, and washstand pieces form a persistent thread. Jug and basin, several jug and bowl sets, and two footbath jugs are all listed, one footbath sold with its matching jug. These sit toward the top of the range, helped by both their size and their completeness.

Do sets and pairs turn up often?

Graduated sets appear five times: runs of three and one of four, in jasperware, Staffordshire pottery and Mason's Hydra ironstone. Matched pairs of delftware also appear. So matched runs are a habit of the category rather than an accident.

What are the oldest examples listed?

The two 17th-century entries are both Dutch Delft chinoiserie, which makes Holland the earliest origin represented rather than England. A Dutch faience pitcher of about 1690 sits alongside them. On the English side, a Worcester cream jug of about 1758 is among the earliest, with First Period and Dr Wall used in titles for that phase of the factory.