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The decoration is of six-sided panels formed
by narrow strips, each containing an animal in low relief, all coloured
dark brown. The animal is standing, with one foreleg raised and the head
in full face. The features are identical on both the heads, the ears are
small and upright; the eyes are large and round, with stab marks for the
pupils; and the nostrils and teeth are also shown as stab marks. Fur on
the neck and body is shown conventionally by diamond rouletting. The
character of the features and the stance as far as this can be
reconstructed suggest that the animals are felines. The two animals face
in opposite directions, so presumably the panels were on the side of the
jug. The only relevant parallel is a jug found in Cannon Street, London,22
which has panel-style decoration containing quadrupeds, and birds in
the spaces between the panels. Elements of the decoration are coloured reddish-brown and dark green. These jugs were almost
certainly made at the same place, not yet located, but probably in east
Surrey.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am grateful to Mr. L. C. Dale, for permission to publish this
material which is at present deposited with the Ancient Monuments
Inspectorate of the Department of the Environment. To Dr. G. C. Dunning, for providing the Appendix,
and to Mr. S. E. Rigold, for reading and improving the text.
22
British Museum, Catalogue of English Pottery (1903), 63, B40,
fig. 49. B. Backham, op. cit. in ii. 15, coloured p1. B,
facing p. 8.
2003 Most of
the finds are now held in the
Reserve Collection at Dartford
Borough Museum (website Dartford
Museum) except for the Knights Jug. This was sold at auction at
Sotheby's, London on 8th July 1998, by the executor of the late Mr L. Dale.
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