Description:

An earthenware commemorative jug printed in blue with the Fig Tree pattern.  The jug commemorates a life event for "Samuel Sanders, Dursley, Gloucestershire", and is dated "1804".  The commemorative itself is hand painted over the glaze and surrounded by a shield design with a floral and botanical pattern added above and below. The border on the inside of the jug is the same as the inner border in Stevenson's Willow pattern and the outer border was also used by the Stevenson factory for the Fig Tree pattern. This pattern has also been found on brown ware with a yellow printed pattern, an example of which is also included in this exhibit.

Examples of the Fig Tree pattern with the impressed STEVENSON mark are known.  However, the jug's commemorative date suggests that it was made prior to the date Ralph Stevenson commenced operations by himself in 1810. It is possible, then, that this jug was made during the period when Stevenson was in partnership with Benjamin Godwin (1802-1810).