This is an extremely rare piece of British pottery - which dates to the Regency Period c 1820s.
It is so rare that I cant even find one in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Collection in London.
It is also a rather large size.
It is unmarked but it is made by Ridgway - and is called a Griffin pattern jug.
The lilac colour is particularly attractive, and the sprigware and lilac ground are glazed with a clear glaze.
As you can see from my photographs - it is a really beautiful piece of antique ceramics.
The decoration on the jug or pitcher features winged Griffins and tiny playful winged putti on each side - and has a fantastic beautifully modelled mask head spout.
There is a classical urn on the front below the mask.
There are scrolling acanthus leaves on the main decorative frieze. Above, is a shallow frieze of applied sprigware fruiting vines.
The handle is a most delicate and beautiful one with feathered pattern along the whole length and with shell motifs top and bottom - sadly the only damage to this piece is to the base of the handle which has a hairline running across the base of the handle - where it meets the body of the jug - this makes the hairline very secure and there is certainly no movement on it. I have photographed this for your inspection.
There is a couple of tiny firing cracks made in the firing of the pot itself - very minor but not obvious or distracting. Not damage - but flaws in the making.
More images can be supplied for serious interest.
It is clean inside - nice and shiny white with no staining or discolouration - no crazing to the glaze and no losses to the sprigware decorations.
Also a very nice large size: measuring from handle to spout just over 9 inches. The overall height is 6 3/4 inches.
It is a heavy piece - weighing 1.1 kg unpacked.
These Ridgway Griffin jugs are very difficult to source - and this is really very much of a museum piece.
This is reflected in my asking price.
Please also see my matching mug which is also listed on my site.