Expertly potted with a rich, glossy black glaze, the jug has a finely-detailed lion-headed spout on one side for pouring or feeding. A bifurcated loop handle is attached from the shoulder to the wide, horizontal lip. The near spherical body is decorated with rounded vertical ribs and sits upon a turned pad foot. The concave neck is offset at the shoulder and leads to a wide flaring mouth. Beneath the lid, which is topped by a stemmed, cone-shaped knop, are lugs to lock the lid into position when being poured. Beneath the spout are two old collection numbers, one is rectangular and printed in black with ‘125’, the other is an oval with blue border and hand written in black ink with ‘241’. One lug missing from the underside of the lid, otherwise intact.

A vessel such as this could well have been used to feed a child or infirm adult; the accurate pouring funnel through the lion’s mouth, and the secured lid make for functional additions to this well known shape.