Antique Treen Lamhogs what are they?

A Lamhog is an Irish ceremonial drinking vessel used in taverns and usually made of willow with an integral carved handle called a lug. These treen drinking vessels were made from a single block of wood turned on a pole lathe and then finished off with hand tools. The lug would have been gouged out by hand. Cylindrical, tapering downwards and then flaring out at the base, they are now quite rare, many examples that have survived are in museums.

In this example, which is a 17th century, note the incised line decoration to the outside – Image 1 and 2.

The lovely pole lathe marks to the base – Image 3

Over its life it has had a couple of splices to ensure it remained water tight, this adds to its charm showing how much it was treasured. – Image 4

It stands approx. 18 cm/7inches tall and 14cm/ 5.5inches in diameter, so plenty of people could have had a swig from it.

Image 5 - the lug, which begs the question , who held it over the years and for what occasion…….?

This particular example will be for sale at The Antiques for Everyone Fair at the NEC, April 7-10th 2016.