Jug (Pitcher)

Description

The cast iron bridge built (1793-96) over the Wear River in Sunderland, England, was celebrated in published texts and illustrations in Britain and abroad. Images of it also were reproduced on English ceramics such as this small jug, on which a transfer-printed version of the scene portrays the bridge. Although the exact inspiration for this ceramic image is as yet unidentified. The original design for the bridge was, in part, created by Thomas Paine, who was born in England and migrated, eventually becoming important in American politics. As often is the case, English ceramics sometimes include incongruous decorative motifs. This explains why one side of this tiny vessel portrays the bridge, and the otehr a romantic poem: "Success to all lovers/ And may they prove true/ May their pleasures be many/ Their sorrows be few/ Long may they live/ And be happy together/ And never be parted/ Till death doth them sever." Four Winterthur ceramics portray views of the Sunderland Bridge over the River Wear: 1984.0141.192 (a small jug); 1984,0141.236 (a plaque); 2000.0057.029 (a jug); and 2024.0014.047 (a mug),