American Toby Jug Museum 

The Lady Jester toby jug designed by David B. Biggs and produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, in a 1998 limited edition of 1,500 for Lawleys By Post. Professional jesters or fools have been employed to entertain since the days of the Egyptian pharaohs. These tellers of jest were paid to amuse with witty remarks and their madness, real or pretended, gave them license to ridicule their patron no matter how noble. The jester flourished in medieval England and dressed in her motley coat, hood with ass' ears, coxcomb, bells and baubles, she was a familiar sight in royal courts, private households and taverns. By the 1600s these comic entertainers were losing their popularity, but they have been immortalized in literature, particularly in the plays of Shakespeare where jesters are often central to the plot. The Lady Jester, paired with The Jester, resembles the Parian ware Jester figurine (HN3922).