A rare Tudor silver and parcel-gilt mounted 'Malling' jug, unmarked, circa 1550

Although the present example bears no hallmark, the engraved merchant's mark to the centre of the cover indicates the ownership of this piece to a non-armigerous trader. The flanking initials have not been identified but the style of the merchant's mark itself is similar to those used by Wool-staplers and Merchant Adventurers.

Although there are very few similar examples documented carrying this particular leaden-glaze and of this early period, there are three recorded which share certain similarities. The first can be found in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Accession No:49.475) of similar squat baluster form and with an almost identical finely chased narrow banded mount and poppy-head thumb-piece. However, the mottled glaze ranges in colour from a medium to a dark cobalt with traces of manganese compared to the browny-black, slightly iridescent glaze of the present example. Another similar example can be found in The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (Object No. M.5-1954), again of similar squat bulbous form this time with a treacly-brown glaze and similar styled thumb-piece. The third example can be found from The Rous Lench Collection, Volume One, Sotheby's, London 1986, Lot 70 and perhaps bears most resemblance it terms of glaze and form. This particular example was not considered of the "Malling' type as it does not have 'the low-fired body nor the tin glaze of that class of wares" but acted as "the bridge between the medieval (Cistercian) potteries and the slipware maker's of the seventeenth century". This example sold for £25,000.  

Sotheby's. Collections, Londres, 27 oct. 2015, 10:30 AM