puzzle jug

Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom, artist

puzzle jug, circa 1810

Where object was made: Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom

Material/technique: silver lusterware; earthenware

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 24 x 15.5 x 11.5 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 9 7/16 x 6 1/8 x 4 1/2 in

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 1928.2032

On display: Stewart Gallery

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To quench your thirst for a game, try drinking from a puzzle jug. These vexing vessels were a popular form of entertainment in the 18th and 19th centuries. Holes in the jug’s neck make it difficult to drink without making a mess. The solution lies in the hidden channel running around the rim and down the handle. The drinker must cover the right combination of holes to create a vacuum and draw out the contents.

Intersections

Archive Label 2001:
Puzzle jugs are humorously made with perforated necks. The liquid from them can be drunk only by the use of an inconspicuous tube that runs from the rim to the bottom of the bowl. This one is decorated in an elaborate silver resist luster glaze.