Crown Lynn McAlpine Prestcold Jug

James McAlpine began to import and assemble Prestcold Refrigerators in 1948.

Sometime after this a Jug, made by Crown Lynn was included with every new unit.

And Crown Lynn would have offered replacements for the occasional breakage, possibly for decades after this model was updated for a more modernist look.

The McAlpine Prestcold Fridge was a common model found in many Kiwi homes for decades, they almost owned the market!

Made in a very 1930’s/40’s post Art Deco style, the Jug was produced in a range of finishes, some rare examples fetching thousands of dollar at auction today!

Now very collectable, water jugs for domestic refrigerators were made in the 1950s and 1960s. McAlpine jugs came in various shades including white (the most common), yellow, blue, turquoise, and green.

Reprinted with permission © Valerie Ringer Monk, ‘Crown Lynn Collector’s Handbook’, Penguin Books NZ, 2013. Available for purchase here.

This form can be described as art deco or modernist.

Challenged by the conservative tastes of the majority public, in those days, the advanced work of Crown Lynn’s designers such as Mirek Smisek, Frank Carpey, and Deniel Steenstra, these artists worked on a huge range or pieces, often toning down their best efforts to reach a marketable standard.

As a commissioned job the design was unique, with a focus on practical daily use. From a time when Crown Lynn was producing durable work to survive daily use, many have survived.

The Jug is comfortable to use.

Today this form is a natural setting in a post modern environment, providing sharp lines of elegance, and simplicity in overall presentation.

The range of finishes range from the best known Ivory Matt glaze that most of the  original pieces were produced, to a selection of pastel tones.

This was part of the Studio Ceramics range of Crown Lynn work, an Auckland producer that employed many people trained in the original Crown Lynn factory.

Modelled by Bruce Yallop, a Crown Lynn trained designer at the turn of the 21^st century, this form is smaller than the original.

Crown Lynn Kiwi, makes the Next Generation of the forms produced originally at Crown Lynn, then by Catherine Anselmi Ceramics, later by Studio Ceramics and since 2017 by Stepa.nz (Stepahead Ceramics) a companion label Crownlynn.kiwi.