A silver-mounted tin-glazed Earthenware covered jug, unmarked, Probably Dutch, late 16th century

the blauster body with mottled burgundy and white glazed surface, the silver cover embossed with two profiles and a full-face mask surrounded by strapwork and clusters of fruit, urn finial rising from a hexafoil, the thumbpiece formed as a shell-backed grotesque head, the hinge mount engraved with armorials and initials CF VB and later date 1641, the neck with serrated leaf-tip border repeated on the foot above a die-rolled band of lobes and flutes, unmarked

Samuel Montagu, Lord Swaythling
Sold Christies, London, Swaythling Heirlooms, 6 May 1924, lot 91
William Randolph Hearst
Sold Parke Bernet, New York, Brummer Collection, Part I, 20-25 April 1949, lot 455
Edmund Astley Prentis, New York

Loan Collection, St. James' Court, London, 1902, catalogue plate XLVIII, fig. 2 (lent by Samuel Montagu)
New York Historical Society, Prentis Collection, 1951-81, illustrated and discussed in the New York Historical Society Quarterly, vol XXXV, no. 2, April 1951, p. 165

cover rings of hinge widened, tip of leaf on handle mount missing, repairs to base rim, three chips to ceramic handle
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The arms are those of Bians, of Franche-Comte, France.