Mid Victorian Mercury Glass Sweetheart Mug with Handpainted Clover Leaves

This is a nice example of a ‘mercury’ or ‘silvered’ glass, probably dating to around 1860. The upper portion of the mug is approximately cylindrical and is hand painted in white with the words ‘REMEMBER ME’ surrounded by a ring of stylised clover leaves and flowers. On the opposite side of the mug is a separately applied handle in flint glass. The bowl sits on a waisted stem that merges into the plain foot. On the underside of the foot is a central discoid ‘button’ that was inserted at the end of the manufacturing process. It has a height of approximately 11.9cm, with a diameter at the rim of about 6.4cm and across the foot of about 5.7cm. It is in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks. There is some wear to the silvering on the underside of the foot that spreads on to the top surface of the foot. There are also a few enclosed bubbles in the glass; these are also manufacturing artefacts and do no detract from the piece in any way.