*British, c.1820-1830, Doulton & Watts Lambeth Pottery Salt-Glazed Stoneware Nelson Jug – Large Size*
A rare early 19th-century Doulton & Watts salt-glazed stoneware character jug modelled as Admiral Lord Nelson wearing a tricorn hat and naval uniform. Finely moulded in buff-coloured stoneware, the jug depicts Nelson’s head and shoulders with a twisted rope handle and incised cockade detail to the hat brim. The surface displays the characteristic warm biscuit tone and orange-peel salt glaze of the Lambeth pottery.
The base bears the clear impressed vertical mark: “DOULTON & WATTS / LAMBETH POTTERY / LONDON” — the earliest known factory stamp of the Doulton partnership, used between c.1820 and 1835 at their Lambeth High Street works.
This is the large size Nelson jug, measuring 19.2 cm high, approximately 19.5 cm across the tricorn, with a base of 11.5 × 11.3 cm and opening 8 × 9 cm.
Historical Note:
The partnership of John Doulton and John Watts began at the Lambeth Pottery in 1820, producing durable stonewares such as jugs, bottles, and portrait wares for both domestic and commemorative use. Their early portrait jugs, including Nelson, Wellington, and Shakespeare, were among the first British figural ceramics of their type — blending popular imagery with utilitarian function.
The Nelson jug celebrates Britain’s naval hero Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805), whose legend as the victor of Trafalgar remained a potent national symbol well into the 19th century. These early Lambeth examples predate the later decorative character jugs produced by Doulton & Co. from the 1860s onward.
Comparable examples are illustrated in Desmond Eyles, “Doulton Stoneware” (1971) and Oswald, Corder & Horne, “Stoneware: The British Tradition” (1982), p.135.
*Condition*
Fine original condition for its age, with light wear and firing imperfections typical of early Lambeth salt-glazed production. Minor firing vent hole behind the handle, short hairline to the rim, and slight glaze irregularities from the kiln process. No significant restorations or overpainting. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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