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Queen Caroline jug: C.1162-1928

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Object information

Awaiting location update

Titles

Queen Caroline jug

Maker(s)

Factory: Unidentified factory (Probably)

Entities

Categories

Description

White earthenware, transfer-printed in black with text and images, then painted with and dipped in copper lustre.

Jug with ovoid body, cylindrical neck, curved lip and loop handle (with thumb-piece). Decorated on the body with two transfer-prints, in black. The underside is flat and glazed, with a raised foot-rim.

The image and texts are as follows:
(i) A bust of Queen Caroline, wearing plumed hat, lace collar and cameo necklace, above ‘GOD SAVE / QUEEN CAROLINE!’
(ii) A garland of leaves woven with ribbon inscribed ‘LONG LIVE CAROLINE!’ at the top, ‘QUEEN OF ENGLAND’ at the bottom, and the names ‘Brougham’, ‘Wood’, ‘Lushington’, ‘Williams’, ‘Waithman’, ‘Denman’ at the sides. The garland encloses the verse:
‘As for the Green-Bag crew,/ Justice will have its due,/God save the Queen!/Confound their politicks,/Frustrate their knavish tricks,/On HER our hopes we fix,/ God save the Queen!’

Notes

History note: Unidentified sale at Longstanton; bought by Mr Roger Roe; sold by him at Cambridge on 17 February 1912 for £1.5s (one pound five shillings), to Dr J W L Glaisher, Trinity College, Cambridge.

Legal notes

Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest, 1928

Measurements and weight

Height: 14.5 cm
Width: 17.5 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

George IV
19th Century, Early#
Production date: circa AD 1820

Note

English lustreware was commercially produced from c.1805 and popular throughout the first half of the 19th Century. Staffordshire potters were the first and largest producers, though similar wares were also made in other regions and pink lustreware is often particularly associated with Sunderland. Potters used minute amounts of gold to produce copper, gold, pink or purple lustre, depending on the type of clay, lustre formula, number of layers and firing temperature; platinum was used to mimic silver. Most lustreware was made for everyday use, and factory markings are rare

In 1820, a Parliamentary Bill was placed before Parliament to dissolve the marriage of George IV and Caroline of Brunswick, on the grounds of her adultery. The couple, who were cousins, married in 1795 when George IV was Prince Regent, but they had been separated for some years by the time he became King and he did not want her as his Queen. She, however, had the passionate support of much of the population, and feeling in the country ran high. The Bill was eventually withdrawn, though Caroline was never crowned and died the following year. The names inscribed around the verse are those of the Queen’s supporters. The rhyme mimics the national anthem; Caroline’s accusers were known as the Green Bag Crew because they kept heir evidence in a type of green bag used by lawyers. The jug was made to sell to the Queen's sympathisers and seems to have been made in large numbers.

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of lustre ( copper) lead-glaze transfers

Materials used in production

White earthenware

Techniques used in production

Throwing : Thrown earthenware, transfer-printed then painted and dipped in lustre.

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: GOD SAVE / QUEEN CAROLINE!
  • Location: Below bust
  • Type: Inscription

Inscription present: on a wavy ribbon over verse and under verse

  • Text: LONG LIVE CAROLINE!’ at the top, ‘QUEEN OF ENGLAND at the bottom; Brougham WOOD Lushington Williams Waithman Denman
  • Location: On other side
  • Type: Inscription
  • Text: As for the Green-Bag crew,/ Justice will have its due,/God save the Queen!/Confound their politicks,/Frustrate their knavish tricks,/On HER our hopes we fix,/God save the Queen!’
  • Location: Inside garland
  • Type: Inscription
  • Text: ‘No. 3489. Queen Caroline jug with portrait & verse & copper lustre. 6”. b. inCambridge Feb 17, 1912’
  • Location: Underside of base
  • Method of creation: Rectangular paper label handpainted in black ink
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.1162-1928
Primary reference Number: 71440
Old object number: 3489
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Wednesday 15 July 2020 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Queen Caroline jug" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/71440 Accessed: 2024-10-30 06:14:55

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/71440 |title=Queen Caroline jug |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-10-30 06:14:55|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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