A pearlware frog mug, circa 1805

A pearlware frog mug, circa 1805
Probably Herculaneum, finely printed with a large portrait of 'Lord Nelson', flanked by two painted floral sprigs, the moulded handle picked out in blue and ochre, including faux screws, a yellow spotted frog modelled crouching inside, 11.5cm high
Although they appear in contemporary earthenware mugs with no other apparent link to the Anglo-French wars, it is tempting to interpret the frog lying in wait at the bottom of the mug as a nod to anti-French sentiment, rife during this time. See lot 127 in this sale for two Herculaneum plates with a very similar printed portrait of Nelson.