Loving Companions, Huge Bright White 19th C. Staffordshire Transferware Loving Cup victorian shoe ornament Structurally

Structurally

finely made

one can just see the pegs peeking out behind them from his back side

and detailed on both sides with ears and eyes and brows

reading "Exportadores del Inca S

Loving Companions, Huge Bright White 19th C. Staffordshire Transferware Loving Cup victorian shoe ornament StructurallySome things photograph well and some things are vastly reduced in translation a good part of the beauty of this c. 1830s Staffordshire "loving cup" is its grand scale, more the size of a trophy than a mug and indeed loving cups (two handled, typically oversized vessels) were are often awarded to victors of competitions (well suited for lifting overhead!). I of course am partial to the "loving" aspect a cup to be shared by two, taking turns, one handle