English blackjack leather jug. With silver collar, hallmarked Birmingham 1915 and maker's mark for T H Hazlewood & Co. An early 20th century version, copying leather jugs that were typically first seen in British medieval and Tudor-era households and taverns that became popular due to their durability and practicality.
Dimensions: 28cm/ 11 inches (height) x 16cm/ 6¼ inches (width) x 11cm/ 4⅜ inches (depth).
The vessels were made from, so called, "jack" leather, created by soaking or boiling cowhide in hot water and then drying it on a mould to make it stiff and hard. The interior was then coated with a black substance, typically a mixture of brewer's pitch, pine resin, or beeswax, to make it watertight. This internal coating is the most widely accepted explanation for the "black" in "blackjack".
