Description:

A rare molded earthenware Toby mug printed in blue with the Standard Willow pattern on the jacket and the companion border pattern on the brim of the tri-corner hat.  The other surfaces on the remainder of the body were hand painted overglaze.  The original lid was painted underglaze in black.  The figure holds a jug of ale.

Sampson Smith, Longton, produced a large number of Toby-shaped mugs, modeled after earlier versions of the seated Toby, but nearly all that remain in the market today were completely hand-painted.  Few examples can be found on which the factory also transfer-printed patterns, suggesting that the printed and painted versions were produced in significantly smaller numbers.