Hot Water Jug

This finely proportioned object was made in 1833 by the leading firm of Regency goldsmiths run by John Bridge and which had earlier been known as Rundell, Bridge and Rundell. They had provided the Prince Regent (later George IV) and his extravagant court with great quantities of new plate in the bold classical style associated with this period. At this time the London goldsmiths were being highly inventive in finding new designs for silver. This example is based on an ancient Greek vase known as a skyphos (with a neck and handle added), with chased panels illustrating The Age of Gold and The Age of Silver from a new edition of the Theogony of the classical poet Hesiod. Their original design was by the sculptor John Flaxman, and these had been engraved by William Blake.

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