Museum Notes
Old English china and earthenware are always interesting, but as a rule only an expert can appreci-
A PUZZLE JUG
(By R. A. Falla)
ate the value of many of the pieces that find their way into museums. Of more general interest is such a piece as the puzzle jug that was recently presented to the Canterbury Museum. The principle of the puzzle is that there are three spouts which project from a tube which runs round the rim and down the handle to the bottom of the vessel. The top of the neck being perforated it seems impossible to obtain any of the liquor without spilling it. The secret is to stop two of the spouts with the fingers while drinking at the third. Puzzle jugs were known in the time of King Henry VIII and were made by most of the early English potters. The specimen illustrated is like the one in the museum. It is of white china, decorated with a blue pattern. Some early puzzle jugs bear interesting doggerel lines, the following quaint inscription having been recorded: “la this jug there is good liquor. Fit for either priest or vicar; But to drink and not to spill Will try the utmost of your skill/'
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19380203.2.56.4
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22317, 3 February 1938, Page 2 (Supplement)
Word Count
210Museum Notes Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22317, 3 February 1938, Page 2 (Supplement)
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