A silver-gilt mounted Japanese Kutani porcelain jug, the mounts John Robins, London, 1809

baluster body, silver-gilt foot with engine-turned/matted border, repeated at the neck, acanthus-capped scroll handle, the Beckford motif applied below the handle 

traces of gilding to the porcelain. Two firing cracks to the base, and another underneath the spout. Each measuring approximatively 1/2 inch. The mount in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

William Beckford (1759-1844), connoisseur, author of the romance Vathek, and a builder of a Gothic mansion known as Fonthill, dispersed much of his exraordinary collection by auction during his lifetime; it is possible that this jug was included in one such sale. Shortly after his death in 1844, however, Edmund English & Son of Bath and Robert Hume of Berners Street, London, compiled an inventory of the collection for Beckford's executors. It included a significant amount of silver-mounted porcelain, ill-described and therefore unidentifiable; thirty-four jugs were mentioned.  The following year English's removed certain items from his home in Bath for auction in their Milsom Street rooms. A sale report in the Bath Chronicle explained Beckford's ownership of so many similar items: 'There is a general feeling of surprise at the quantity of china, and many are credulous as to the fact of its being the genuine property, and veritably  having belonged to Mr. Beckford. For two reasons we place entire confidence in the announcement.  In the first place, there is not one single piece of those ten thousand specimens but is remarkable for its beauty, quality, and costliness; and secondly, because Mr. Beckford's custom was to have a different arrangement for every day in the year. The cup and saucer he used to-day at his breakfast were placed in a cabinet until a revolving year brought them into request; and such was the custom likewise at dinner, dessert, and tea' (The Illustrated London News, 22 November 1844, pp.344-46).

Related Literature
Michael Snodin and Malcolm Baker, 'William Beckford's Silver', parts I and II, The Burlington Magazine, November and December 1980.