A pear shape jug with flaring handle and spout bears a molded relief design based on the blossoms and foliage of the water or pond lily. Large upright blossoms--slightly different on each side--rise from a cluster of buds and pads to form the major motif. The same plant materials worked into a horizontal garland follows the line of the upper rim. The slightly translucent parian body has received an orange peel texture as well as a dark blue ground color in the mold,  both elements providing a contrast that strongly highlights the floral groups.

English pottery provided the model for pioneering American potters in design as well as technical aspects. The Bennington jug is closely modeled on--or perhaps even cast from--the 1851 "Nymphea" jug by Copeland, a pottery that was itself a pioneer in parian production. The presence of a mark is key to distinguishing the Bennington version, which is due special status as an early example of American made porcelain.

Despite the infant status of their industry, American potters were notably quick to apply the lessons learned from English potters. According to Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen's indispensable American Porcelain: 1720-1920 (MMA, 1989) parian bearing the mark "Fenton's Works, Bennington Vermont" appears in the mid-1840's, not long after the introduction of the important new body in England. A change in partnership led to the adoption of the name U. S. Pottery Company in 1852. The next year the firm's parian pieces received positive reviews at the New York Crystal Palace Exhibition.