Antique Wedgwood Blue Jasperware Milk Jug with Angelic Reliefs

This charming small milk jug is an authentic early 19th‑century example of Wedgwood blue jasperware, finely decorated with rare angelic and neoclassical reliefs. Formed in the classic ovoid Wedgwood shape with a slender loop handle and sharply defined pouring lip, the jug displays the refined proportions and crisp modelling associated with the firm’s late Georgian production.

The body is executed in rich solid blue jasper, the iconic matte stoneware body perfected by Josiah Wedgwood and widely admired throughout Europe for its resemblance to antique carved gems. Around the circumference runs an applied white jasper frieze of exceptional quality. On one side, graceful winged figures – often described as angels or classical nymphs – move in procession, their fluttering drapery beautifully undercut and delicately raised from the ground. On the reverse, a finely detailed landscape with tall trees, rocks and flowering plants provides a tranquil backdrop, while another panel shows a robed female figure making an offering at a classical altar, a favourite Wedgwood subject derived from antique intaglios.

The applied reliefs are carefully arranged above a narrow white ground line that encircles the jug, visually anchoring the composition. Sculptural details such as the feathering of the wings, folds of the garments and foliage of the trees are well preserved and sharply defined, indicating an early pressing from high‑quality moulds rather than later, more worn examples. The handle is neatly attached at the shoulder and upper body, its junction disguised by small leaf mouldings in white jasper.

The interior and rim are finished in a contrasting white, providing a clean serving surface for milk or cream. A faint age‑related hairline is visible inside the neck under close inspection, a typical stress line that does not detract significantly from display and appears stable. Otherwise the jug presents very well for a piece of this period, with no obvious losses to the applied decoration and only the light surface wear and slight base staining expected from over 200 years of careful use.

To the underside, the base bears the impressed “WEDGWOOD” mark, lightly struck but legible in the photographs, together with an additional small impressed workman’s or date mark. This style of mark and the character of the body and reliefs are consistent with production in the early 1800s, during the Regency era, when Wedgwood’s blue jasperware was at the height of its popularity. The combination of a small milk or cream jug form with this particular angelic frieze is comparatively uncommon, enhancing its collector appeal.

This jug would make an excellent addition to a specialist Wedgwood or jasperware collection, and it also displays beautifully as a standalone decorative accent. Its compact scale suits use in an antique tea or breakfast service, while the vivid cobalt blue body and pure white figures sit well in modern interiors, on a mantelpiece, shelf or within a cabinet of ceramics. Early pieces with such well‑preserved relief work and an attractive, uncommon subject are increasingly hard to find, making this jug both a desirable collector’s item and a thoughtful gift for admirers of fine English ceramics. 11.5cm height