Aquamanile

This London-type ware water jug (aquamanile) is shaped like a horse and rider. It was used to pour water over diners' hands between courses. This vessel is from the Cyprus area of the Royal Albert Docks, London E16, and may have been found during the construction of the Cyprus Estate, built to house dock workers in 1881.

London-type ware was the major glazed pottery made and used in the London area from the middle of the 12th until the late 13th century. Fragments found in dated archaeological contexts show that the industry began towards the end of the 11th century and continued up to the time of the Black Death in the mid 14th century. After a hiatus in the later 14th century, production resumed around 1400, when the fabric is known as late London-type ware. The London-area potters used local red-firing brickearth and sands. Most London-type wares are thrown on a potter's wheel and have a lead glaze applied, often over a white slip and frequently coloured green by adding copper. It was not until 2007 that a London-type ware kiln site was excavated, finally locating one of the industy's production sites. It was near the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, just across the Thames from where this water jug was discovered.

The aquamanile is on long-term loan from the Port of London Authority.