American Toby Jug Museum 

Duchess of Plaza Toro large size toby jug designed by Betty Silvester and produced by Shorter & Son of Stoke-on-Trent, England, circa 1950. From the Gilbert and Sullivan opera "The Gondoliers", the Duchess of Plaza Toro is the wife of the Duke of Plaza-Toro, but there is no question of who wears the pants in this particular marriage. She is an overbearing battle-axe in the classic Gilbert & Sullivan style. "The Gondoliers" is a Savoy Opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered in December of 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances, closing at the end of June 1891. This was the twelfth comic opera collaboration of fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan and was their last great success. With permission from D'Oyly Carte, Shorter modeled this series based on the actor and costumes from the operas and posing in scenes from the operas. The ribbons from the Duchess' large head piece form the handle of the jug. The small size Duchess of Plaza Toro toby jug stands 4 3/4" tall.