DATE CYPHER AND PATENT REGISTRY DIAMOND FOR 1874, IMPRESSED UPPERCASE MARK AND SHAPE NO. 1924, PROBABLY MODELED BY PAUL COMOLERA

For a line drawing of this form in the 'Minton Limited Majolica Catalogue', see Paul Atterbury and Maureen Batkin, The Dictionary of Minton, Suffolk, 1990, p. 334. Also see p. 261 for a biography on Paul Comoléra (1818-1897), who was recorded at Minton from 1873 and on a free-lance basis into the 1880s. He is best known for his large models of animal and birds, which were often based on life studies. He is also recorded producing smaller domestic animals. By tradition, the present model is said to be of his cat. For a similar milk-jug see The Harriman Judd Collection of British Art Pottery, Sotheby's, New York, 22 January 2001, lot 15.