Admiral Edward Vernon was the hero of the age after his capture of the settlement of Portobello in Panama on the Spanish Main in 1739 during the ‘War of Jenkins’ Ear’.

The cylindrical body is slip cast and moulded with the Arms of George II flanked by two panels displaying Admiral Vernon and the settlement of Portobello with the fortress of Castillo del Hierro and the six ships of his expeditionary force. The cover surmounted by a Bacchus head wreathed with vines.

While the earliest dated example of white salt-glazed stoneware is dated 1720, there are only nine dated pieces that predate the battle of Portobello, so these commemorative pieces offer an important insight into what was being produced during this early period (see Edwards and Hampson 2005, p 25-28). It is also interesting to note that a sherd from an admiral Vernon mug was found in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA, on the Dr. Hall Jackson (1739-1797) site.

Perhaps the only other identical tankard with its cover is in Colonial Williamsburg which came from the Collections of Marc-Louis Solon, Charles Luxmore and Mrs Radcliffe.

https://emuseum.history.org/objects/15824/tankard-and-cover

The lid fits quite loosely as does that on the Colonial Williamsburg example.

Condition:
Fine crack from rim and in the base, two chips to footrim, staining to the underside extending above the foot.
No restoration.

Provenance:
The Stanley F. Goldfein Collection

References:

Edwards and Hampson 2005
Diana Edwards and Rodney Hampson, White Salt-glazed stoneware of the British Isles, (Antique Collectors Club, 2005)

Price: £26,000