Bidspirit auction | A late 19th or early

A late 19th or early 20th century two-tone salt-glazed stoneware four-gallon spirit flagon for John Murray of Bradford - A large salt-glazed stoneware spirit flagon of slightly tapered cylindrical form with a rounded shoulder and a narrow neck. The vessel features a traditional Victorian two-tone finish, comprising a honey-brown ferruginous glaze to the upper section and a buff-coloured lower body. A decorative incised rope-twist or thumbprint band provides a border around the shoulder. The flagon is fitted with a cork stopper. The shoulder is impressed with a merchant mark for John Murray, a wine and spirit merchant based in the Swan Arcade, Bradford. The mark includes the numeral 4, indicating a four-gallon capacity, above four lines of text: JOHN MURRAY, WINE & SPIRIT MERCHANT, SWAN ARCADE, BRADFORD. To the right of the primary mark are partially visible handwritten or stamped numbers, including 930. Capacity: 4 Gallons.