Swansea Pottery Puzzle Tankard with hidden portraits of British and French Royalty late 18th century Wales

Dated: 1795 Swansea Wales UK

This intriguing pottery tankard shows the obscure hidden profiles of the beheaded King of France, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, King George III, and Queen Charlotte of England. Inscriptions read " A new puzzle of portraits" and "Striking likenesses of the King and Queen of England and the late King and Queen of France." The images of the late French royals show a broken crown, while the English royals are provided with a plinth on which stands the crown with a halo. The underglaze transfer print is an exceptional example. E.Moreton Nance illustrates these rare commemoratives in his reference work The Pottery and Porcelain of Swansea & Nantgarw. NOTE; The design was first seen on an engraving published and sold by Orme at No. 14 Old Bond Street Jan 18th, 1794, on an original Broadsheet in the Banks Collection in the British Museum. King Louis XVI was executed on Jan 21st, 1793, and Marie Antoinette on Oct 16th, 1793.

Dimensions: 3.75 inches high

Diameter: 3.5 inches

Current Condition: Good condition with an unrestored minor chip at the rim in keeping with age.

Provenance: Private Collection London

Literature: Plate IX page 47 and 48 The Pottery and Porcelain of Swansea and Nantgarw by E.Moreton Nance. first published in 1942.

£1475    $1991