Raeren silver-mounted and lidded drinking vessel

Those unable to afford silver or wishing to enhance a valued piece of pottery or glass had their cups fitted with silver mounts or lids. The English practice of adding precious metal mounts to plain stonewares flourished for a relatively short period from the 1520s to the 1580s, and products from Raeren (Belgium) were among the first imports to be treated in this way. This mug is a typical example, and is embellished with a silver-gilt lid, hinge and cast dolphin thumbpiece. The roundel in the centre of the lid is engraved with the owner's initials 'PH', and the rim bears the inscription: '+THE TONGE THAT LIETH KILLETH THE SOULE'. The mounts are English, but unmarked.