Large Royal Doulton ‘The Old Wife’ Water Jug

This fabulous, large, Royal Doulton water jug from the 1940/50’s, is beautifully decorated and hand painted in a wonderful underwater aquatic scene, known as the ‘THE OLD WIFE’. The jug has a lovely shape with a moulded coral inspired handle and features a colourful scene of three fish swimming among marine plants and strands of coral. The pattern was registered in Australia and produced for a short period, from 1938 until it was withdrawn in 1955. This impressive water jug is in excellent condition with lovely bright colours and carries the special backstamp on its base. The jug stands 22cm high, measures 18cm at its widest (incl. handle) and weighs 855g.

NOTE: The series and pattern name was inspired by the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, the largest natural coral reef in the world, and the ‘Old Wife’ refers to a derogatory name given to a species of fish found there, that when caught on a hook and line, its teeth are ground together, supposedly producing the sound of an ‘Old Wife’.