Small tenmoku jug. Poss sig with cross-hatch symbol to base. Trying to ID

Dear Forum

A small well-made tenmoku glazed jug. Approx 4.5” in height.

Appears to have a signature to the base which I cannot decipher along with a cross-hatch symbol created from 3 horizontal and 3 vertical open- ended lines.

Two posts from me to allow for all my pics.

Would be grateful as always for any thoughts insights comments etc

Kindest

Apologies, forgot to mention believed to be British…

Thanks again

It looks very much in the Leach/St. Ives school but I can't recall seeing anything marked in that way.

It could be from the 1970s when there were many unrecorded potters producing this kind of thing but the stoneware body looks later than that.

I have no reason to believe that it wasn't made in the UK.

Dear Studio-Pots.

Thanks as always for your reply and insights. Greatly appreciated. FYI I believe that this pot was bought alongside some Leach Pottery pieces but that, of course, has absolutely no bearing on this jug.

It’s a nice, well-made pot all the same. Wondered if the marks were to do with glaze tests or some other production matter but am no expert!

Thanks again

The marks on the base could be test marks. The usual place that impressed seal marks are to be found on jugs is just below the bottom of the handle. Often this can be covered in glaze but on this jug from the images this doesn't appear to be the case.

Hi Studio-Pots

No signs of a mark under the handle - flooded or otherwise as you mention. Photo added to show this.

Also added a photo to clearly show one of three equidistant circular breaks in the glaze at its bottom edge. Assume these were created by three of the potters fingers or by a pincer type tool  which were being employed to dunk the pot into a bucket of glaze. Fingers would have been very small and v.strong from what I can see!

Thanks again for all your help.

Kindest

Dear Studio-Pots

Regarding the possible age of the pot. Does the base and the material indicate any era particularly? Was curious as I occasionally come across stoneware pots with a similar appearance and base and have, wrongly or rightly, thought they may have some age to them ie mid 20th century very approximately .

Thanks

Kindest

You are correct about the finger marks.

Regarding the stoneware body here and it's appearance, my view is only based on staring at the bottom of loads of pots over the years. If I had been a potter working over the period I would have had a more accurate idea, as whatever the age of your jug, it does appear to me to be made from a commercial stoneware body that the potter would have bought in.

As I said above, the mostly likely time of production is the 1970s but it just had the hint to me of being a little later.

Dear Studio-Pots

Thanks as always for all the time and insights. It’s greatly appreciated.

Have a much fuller appreciation of the context in which this pot may have been made thanks to your expertise.

Thanks again and onto the next one!

Kindest