Flowers and Garlands, 19th Century Hand-decorated Spongeware Mug flower frog One hairline crack down from

One hairline crack down from the lip at the rear of the lion and some bubbling to the glaze on the interior

Aged and worn but no splits or cracks of note

just exquisite--like the hushed floor of the forest distilled into the perfect object

Mid 19th century I I believe

packed into an old Crystallized Ginger tin

Flowers and Garlands, 19th Century Hand-decorated Spongeware Mug flower frog One hairline crack down fromTo me this good sized, c. mid 19th century mug with hand painted flowers feels quite warm and cozy a nice one to actually drink morning coffee from, or fill with sprigs of holiday green and berries, or to use to hold ones toothbrush! I believe this would be properly be classified as spongeware (and was by the dealer who sold it me), with the garland motif looking to have been applied using a stencil and sponged type painting. Plus a hand painted blue