This extremely large pitcher is illustrated in the New England Glass Company catalogue which was printed in 1868 (the only known copy of which is in the collection of the Rakow Library). It is one of the earliest printed catalogues of American glass and we are always pleased to find a piece which has been illustrated in it, and can thus be identified as to pattern name, date and maker. The pitcher was mold-blown and then tooled and the handle added. It is both extremely large and very heavy which must have made its use on the table difficult. The size and weight are probably the reason why is it mold-blown rather than pressed, as most pieces in the catalogue were. It is listed as a “Two Quart Palace Jug”, in the catalog, the only one that large. It would have weighed more than five pounds when it was full of water and lifting it to pour out the contents into glasses would have been extremely awkward. That is probably why the pitcher is much rarer than some of the other patterns shown in the catalogue. The Museum has a smaller pitcher in this pattern, but with a more cylindrical shape (2000.4.43), which is not shown in the New England Glass Company catalogue. However, other shapes in this pattern are shown in catalogues of James B. Lyon & Company, and Curling, Robertson & Company, both in Pittsburgh. So the pattern was made by at least three companies, if not more. However, the Two-Quart Jug was only made by the New England Glass Company.