Friar Tuck toby jug large size produced in Japan for National Potteries of Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1950 using its Napco Ceramics tradename. Friar Tuck is a priest from old English folklore, and, as legend describes, "a man of girth and mirth who liked his venison pasties washed down with a stoup of pilfered sack." Armed with a sword, bow and merry temperament, Friar Tuck was one of Robin Hood's best-known men, the outlaws' genial chaplain and father-confessor. But even before he and Robin met, he was known as one of the best swordsmen and archers in the land. When Robin first came across Tuck, he did not know the identity of the fat friar. Although he does not feature in the earliest ballads about the outlaw chief, Friar Tuck was probably introduced when May Day festivities, folk plays and Morris dances became a feature of the traditional Robin Hood games. He also figures in Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" where he is described as "a huge, beetle-browed, broad-shouldered brother of the gray frock and cowl, who looked much more like a thief than a clergyman." He is designed in a style similar to that of Goebel.
Maker:
National Potteries
United States
circa 1960
Model #:
S788A
Everyday Life Series
toby jug
Size:
large
Height:
6"