Arthur Wood Nasturtium and Spider Web Jug Vase, c.1930s

At first glance, this looks like one of the cheerful floral jugs produced by the Staffordshire potteries during the 1930s. Then the spider’s web comes into view. Three orange-red nasturtiums fill the upper section, painted with green leaves over peach lustre. Below them, a platinum-lustre web stretches across the warm cream body. It is this unexpected interruption that takes Pattern 3123 from familiar floral decoration to something altogether more eccentric. The broad rounded form gives the piece a generous, almost jovial presence. At approximately 20 cm high, it has a full body, short neck and sweeping handle—but no pouring lip. Although it borrows the shape of a water jug, it was evidently conceived as a decorative jug vase rather than straightforward tableware. This is very much a product of Britain between the wars, when manufacturers were making familiar household forms feel modern through strong colour, metallic lustres and a touch of visual wit. It is Art Deco in a particularly British and domestic mood: not severe geometry, but traditional flowers treated with confidence and eccentricity. Dimensions: Approximately 20 cm high. Condition: Very good vintage condition. The painted platinum-lustre decoration has some slight rubbing to one section of the rim and handle. Worldwide Shipping:Worldwide shipping is available. The jug/vase will be carefully wrapped in several layers of protective material, cushioned throughout and securely packed in a strong double-walled box for safe delivery. Collector’s Note: Arthur Wood & Son manufactured earthenware at the Bradwell Works in Longport, Stoke-on-Trent, from around 1928. The green “Quality Arthur Wood England” mark was introduced around 1934, supporting a mid-1930s date. The painted Pattern 3123 number appears on the base.