A late 18th/early 19th Century Prattware toby jug, modelled ...

Hammer

£290

A late 18th/early 19th Century Prattware toby jug, modelled seated with tankard in hand, wearing spotted waistcoat, blue jacket and green breeches, height 19.5cm.

The Toby Jug first appeared in Staffordshire, England, around the 1760s. It is traditionally a seated figure of a rotund, jolly man, holding a mug of beer in one hand and often a pipe in the other. The figure is typically dressed in 18th Century clothing, including a tricorn hat, which forms the spout of the jug.

The name 'Toby' likely comes from the character Toby Fillpot, a legendary drinker made famous by a popular drinking song and poem titled The Brown Jug, written by Francis Fawkes in 1761. The poem humorously claimed that after Toby died from excessive ale-drinking, his body was made into a jug thus immortalising his love of beer.

“Dear Tom, this brown jug, that now foams with mild ale,
Was once Toby Fillpot, a thirsty old soul…”

This poem, along with the widespread culture of public houses (pubs) and ale-drinking in Georgian England, helped the figure become instantly recognisable and beloved.

More Information

repaired chips to rim and hand, general age related wear.