This mug depicts the profile outlines of King George III and Queen Charlotte of England, and King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette of France. Produced during the French Revolution, the mug uses symbols to contrast the popular and prosperous English monarchy - surrounded by a rose and thistle, a crown and a rising sun - with the executed French rulers, who are surrounded by snakes and a broken crown and sword. The images are transfer-printed rather than painted by hand, which was an inexpensive method for producing ceramics decorated with popular political and social messages.
