Fergus Gambon
Director
Lot 74*
A very rare 'Fiddler' Toby Jug from the 'Midshipman Family', circa 1785
23 June 2021, 10:30 BST
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £11,475 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our British Ceramics specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
A very rare 'Fiddler' Toby Jug from the 'Midshipman Family', circa 1785
Attributed to Jacob Marsh, seated and playing a small violin, wearing a blue and brown striped frock coat, green breeches and brown shoes, his tricorn hat and waistcoat left in the white, the waistcoat partially unbuttoned to reveal his necktie, his hair secured at the back with a distinctive tied ribbon, the plain handle incised with horizontal lines, 16.4cm high
Footnotes
Provenance
Phillips sale, 7 September 1988, lot 210
James and Timmey Challenger Collection, Chicago
Illustrated by Vic Schuler, Collecting British Toby Jugs (Third Edition 1999), p.57 and listed as one of the eleven similar jugs recorded at the time of writing on p.56. Another 'Fiddler' Toby Jug from the James and Timmey Challenger Collection was sold by Bonhams on 15 December 2020, lot 39 and one from a private collection on 5 June 2019, lot 110.
A single mould was used for many of the smaller-sized 'Midshipman' Toby Jugs. Common features include the partially unbuttoned waistcoat as well as the curious ribbon used to tie the hair at the back. Some examples have a large jug resting on the base to one side.
