Beautifully scaled and showing perfect judgment in the elements of its design, this pot is...
Beautifully scaled and showing perfect judgment in the elements of its design, this pot is a good example of the virtues of eighteenth century jasperware. A slightly flared drum shape is a bit severe in form except for subtle engine-turned fluting at the base and on the lid and foliage details--most likely acanthus--on the handle and spout. The smooth sides are ornamented with figures from the "Domestic Employment" series in sharp relief; both sides showing maidens tenderly caring for younger children. (This theme of nurturing may be relected as well in the figure of the mother sheep nursing its lamb--between the stand of flowers and the spout.) The lid is topped by a blue sphere, ringed by a band of white and surrounded by a ring of pointed leaves and tiny white balls. The pot is rich in detail, but still understated and elegant.