A Rare English Pottery Hand Stirrup Cup

Stock No: 000967

Height: 6.5 Inches /16.5 cm

Reference: A Potted History (Henry Willett’s Ceramic Chronicle of Britain) Stella Beddoe, Page 286, Cup, (1401)

An extraordinarily rare and fine stirrup cup moulded as a human hand, clenched in a soft fist. Possibly Staffordshire or North-East manufacture c.1800 creamware with an underglaze blue rim.

Outside of the Willet collection, I have only ever seen one other, that example had underglaze orange on a creamware ground. This one is in excellent condition.

The example shown in Stella Beddoe‘s book is a mirror image of ours. This may be photographic licence or possibly they were produced left and right-handed. I highly recommend her book, it is both informative and packed with plenty of juicy pictures!!