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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Label texts

Collection Cards: Collect

Why does this jug have so many holes in its neck? Is it functional, or purely for decoration? Called a puzzle jug, the solution lies in a hidden tube usually running around the rim and down the handle, with another opening near the bottom. Rather than pouring from this jug, drinkers must drink from a single spout while covering the other holes with their fingers. Additional perforations and hidden holes can make the puzzle more complex. Popular in homes and taverns in the 18th and 19th centuries, puzzle jugs also became collectors’ items.

This elegant and iridescent puzzle jug also serves as an example of experimentation with lusterware techniques. Sallie Casey Thayer collected a variety of ceramics, including lusterware from Spanish and Italian Renaissance works to English manufacturers in the 19th century. The reflective qualities of the silver surface likely further contributed challenge of drinking from the jug.

Watch this video to see artist Michelle Erickson recreate an 18th-century puzzle jug from the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum: http://twistedsifter.com/videos/ceramics-artist-recreates-18th-century-…

Try to sketch the basic structure of a puzzle jug, showing the hidden tubes. What might further puzzle you about these jugs?

How do you think puzzle jugs were invented, and why?

What sort of puzzle would you like to create, and why?

Intersections

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

Civic Leader and Art Collector: Sallie Casey Thayer and an Art Museum for KU

Called a puzzle jug, the numerous holes in the jug’s neck pose a challenge to drinking without making a mess. The solution resides in the hidden tube running around the rim and down the handle with an opening near the bottom. Rather than pouring from this jug, drinkers must drink from a single spout while covering the other spouts with their fingers. Additional perforations and hidden holes found in other examples can make the puzzle more complex. Popular in homes and taverns in the 18th and 19th centuries, puzzle jugs became collectors’ items.

This elegant and iridescent puzzle jug exemplifies the experimentation with lusterware techniques to produce elegant white patterns against a silver background. The reflective qualities of the surface likely further contributed to jug’s drinking challenges.

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.