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A very rare 'Drummer' Toby jug from the 'Midshipman' Family, circa 1785 image 1
A very rare 'Drummer' Toby jug from the 'Midshipman' Family, circa 1785 image 2
Lot 285

A very rare 'Drummer' Toby jug from the 'Midshipman' Family, circa 1785

14 November 2018, 10:30 GMT
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £13,750 inc. premium

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A very rare 'Drummer' Toby jug from the 'Midshipman' Family, circa 1785

Attributed to Jacob Marsh, seated with a small drum held between his knees and a drumstick in each hand, a neatly potted foaming jug standing at his side, wearing a frock coat sponged in brown, brown breeches, white necktie and partially unbuttoned waistcoat, his hat with a formal border painted below the brim, his hair secured at the back with a distinctive tied ribbon, 19.4cm high

Footnotes

Provenance
With Jonathan Horne Antiques
A British Private Collection

Illustrated by Jonathan Horne, A Collection of Early English Pottery, part IV, no.89 and by Vic Schuler, Collecting British Toby Jugs (1999), p. 58. This lot appears to be the only 'Midshipman' family Drummer recorded in the literature. Common features of the smaller-sized 'Midshipman' group include the distinctive modelling on the necktie and partially unbuttoned waistcoat, the distinctive ribbon used to secure the hair at the back and the small slivers of clay applied at the junctions of the arms and legs with the body, presumably to ensure a good join during the firing process.

Additional information

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