Late-19th Century Ruby Stained Child’s Mug with ‘Greek Key’ Motif c.1890

This is a charming example of a child’s glass mug, possibly Bohemian in origin and dating to the end of the 19th century.

The mug is made from plain lead glass. It has a barrel-shaped body and sits on a thick, discoid foot. The strap-like handle is curled and reattaches at the base and onto the foot. The foot has a rough central pontil mark.

The mug has been stained with a metal oxide to give a red colour upon reheating. The design has been hand-painted, with a band of red pigment at the rim, down the handle, and around the foot. The centre of the mug is decorated with a ‘Greek Key’ motif that meets a large oval cartouche opposite the handle.

There are some traces of gilding near the handle, which would suggest that there may have been some embellishments on the ruby motif. These have since rubbed away.

It has a height of approximately 9.4cm, with a diameter across the rim of about 5.6cm and across the foot of about 4.9cm.

It has a liquid capacity (to the brim) of 250ml.

It has an unwrapped weight of 130g.

It is in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks, although there are some inclusions in the glass in the form of enclosed bubbles.