Jug

Joseph Holdcroft (ca. 1832–1904) was trained and employed at Minton & Co. before establishing his own, eponymous firm in the early 1860s. His company began majolica production in about 1870 in the Staffordshire town of Longton. Holdcroft’s business strategy was anchored in manufacturing large quantities of mid-range majolica (lead-glazed earthenware), supplemented by higher-quality pieces–like this jug–that garnered positive press reviews and upheld the company’s reputation. Although the firm was capable of manufacturing premium wares in novel shapes, it was sometimes more of an imitator than an innovator, and was known to copy designs of rival potteries. The company continued to make majolica into the 1890s.

From the mid-1870s through the 1880s, Holdcroft manufactured a range of majolica inspired by Japanese art and design, such as this jug embellished with swimming fish. Here the fashionable Japanesque motifs have been outlined in the brilliant, glossy cobalt blue and turquoise which were specialties of the pottery. Holdcroft sometimes chose to copyright its designs by registering these models with the British Designs Registry. This government entity was created by the United Kingdom’s 1839 Designs Registration Act, which protected manufacturers from unauthorized copying of “ornamental” designs that were registered. As part of submitting a design for registration, a manufacturer had to include a “representation” of the design, often a drawing or, as time went on, a photograph. These representations are now preserved at the UK’s National Archives and provide an invaluable source of information about Victorian design. Holdcroft registered this jug design on September 28, 1877.

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Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Collection of Deborah and Philip English, Baltimore, by 2022, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; given to the Walters Art Museum, 2024.