Category Archives: antique

Royal Doulton “Dogberry’s Watch” Motto Jug (around inner rim, does actually look like Docberry in the print). Dogberry is dressed in green, the background figures are light brown. The motto’s wording is: “1st Watch This Man Sir Said That Don John The Princes Brother Was A Villain” Green Doulton stamp, painted No. D2644 The’D’ series patterns on earthenware and bone china date from about 1900 and encompass the collectible Doulton art nouveau and deco-style shapes and patterns. In excellent condition with no chips, cracks, repairs. Crazing throughout but pretty much as made. 20.5 cm tall (8 inches). Dogberry is a character created by William Shakespeare for his play Much Ado About Nothing. He is described as a “self-satisfied night constable” with an inflated view of his own importance as the leader of a group of comically bumbling watchmen. As usual in Shakespearean and Renaissance comedies, Dogberry is generally a figure of comic incompetence. In the play, Dogberry is the chief of Messina’s citizen police. He tells them that it is perfectly fine to sleep on duty and that if they see a thief, they should not touch him, to avoid becoming defiled by association with crime. During their watch, the constables overhear a conversation between two characters, Boraccio and Conrade, one of whom is part of Don John’s plot to discredit Hero. They misunderstand the conversation and arrest the two on the spot for acts of “treason” because they called Don John a villain.