
Fergus Gambon
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Sold for £3,187.50 inc. premium
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Head of Sale
The verse reads 'Now I am come for to supply, your workmen when that they are dry, in harvest time when they in labour hard and sweet, good drink is better far than meat, and in Winter when it is cold, I likewise then good beer can hold, both Seasons and good drink require, this most men do the same desire'. Beer was drunk for quick energy release during hard labour, especially during harvest time. This jug was likely commissioned as a wedding present as suggested by the heart-shaped panel. The two 'suns in splendour' may be male and female, symbolising the happy couple. The initials 'W P' and 'R W' likely represent the couple, whereas W Pope is probably the potter. A jug dated 1724 from the Glaisher Collection with a North Devon pedigree, inscribed with another variation of the same verse, is in the Fitzwilliam Museum (inv. no.GL.C.59-1928). See also the armorial example dated 1748 attributed to Barnstaple or Bideford in the Chipstone Foundation collection, Wisconsin (inv. no.1994.10) which has a similar inscription also in a heart-shaped panel.