Late Victorian Fern Etched Shot Glass

This is a highly unusual and decorative shot glass, probably dating to about 1880. The shot glass is bucket shaped with a thickened base. The design consists of two sets of three interconnecting ferns that are a mirror image of each other. The pairs of ferns that face each other are curved with an eight-pointed star between them. This forms a cartouche that contains the initials ‘M. A.’ and the name ‘STURT’. The glass has a height of approximately 6.4cm, with a diameter at the rim of about 4.8cm and across the base of about 3.6cm. It is in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks.