Description
Item Overview:
Antique Parian ware pitcher from T. J. & J. Mayer
This antique Parian ware pitcher from T. J. & J. Mayer features a high-relief “Boy in Tree with Bird’s Nest” scene against a vibrant blue background. It was originally manufactured by T. J. & J. Mayer of Dale Hall Pottery, Longport, Staffordshire, England. First produced around 1850, this design carries an English diamond registration mark from July of that year, a testament to the maker’s prize-winning history at the Great Exhibition of 1851. The jug features white relief-moulded figures and foliage against a blue salt-glazed background, complete with an organic faux bois (faux wood) branch handle.
Each side of this water jug tells a progressive story. One side depicts a boy climbing up to see a bird nesting in a tree. In his efforts to reach the nest, the lad snags his jacket on a branch. In the nest are three fledglings and one bird testing its wings outside this protection, while the mother bird flies overhead. Finally, the boy masters the climb. The reverse scene shows him sitting proudly on a branch, cradling the nest of young birds in his lap while keeping his balance on the tree trunk.