American Toby Jug Museum 

Gondolier character jug modeled by David B. Biggs and produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, between 1964-1969. Gondoliers are the famous singing boatmen of Venice featured in many romantic films. Travelers on the waterways of modern Venice may take the motorized river bus or taxi, but for the tourists and the more romantically inclined, a gondola is the only way to journey through this beautiful city. The graceful, flat-bottomed craft with its curved stern and prow is expertly propelled with graceful strokes of a single oar by the gondolier who stands on the "poppa" in the stern and serenades his fares while they glide along the canals and lagoons. Dressed in a traditional costume of straw boater and striped top, this colorful character is an integral part of Venetian life. He was immortalized in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operetta, "The Gondoliers", first produced in 1889. A gondola and striped pole form the handle of the jug. The Gondolier character jug was made in three sizes with this being the largest along with small (D6592) and miniature (D6595) sizes.