The upper part with a brown glaze, at the front a rectangular panel moulded with a coaching scene flanked by buildings and trees, the lower part with continuous a stag hunting scene with elements highlighted in dark brown.

Wynn Hamilton-Foyn in his paper, ‘Dated Hunting Mugs’, discusses this rare form of decoration and lists two further tankards sprigged with coaching scenes, also dated 1727, with the inscriptions ‘N.S’ (or NJ), and ‘James Presson’ respectively. A Vauxhall mug dated 1727, incised with the name ‘Thomas Johnson’, from the Collection of Stanley J. Seeger, formerly in the Collection of Louis Solon, was sold at Sotheby’s, New York, October 20, 1993, lot 82. As the sprigged hunting decoration on the present mug is in an anti-clockwise decoration the tankard falls into a group labeled ‘Factory B’, which are considered almost certainly to be London, and possibly Fulham.

Sometimes referred to as ‘6 Pint’ mugs, this actually holds, a still impressive, four pints.

Condition:
Good

Provenance:
Bonhams, London, December 8, 2004, lot 222
Jonathan Horne, London, December 2004
Vogel Collection no. 749
Sotheby’s, New York, 19 January, l The Collection of Anne H. & Frederick Vogel, Lot 611

References:
Wynn Hamilton-Foyn in his paper, ‘Dated Hunting Mugs’, English Ceramic Circle Transactions, 2000, Vol. 17, part 2, p. 270
Robin Hildyard, Browne Mugs, English Brown Stoneware, exhibition catalogue Victoria and Albert Museum. London, 1985

Price: £8,500