Wednesday, 8 June 2016

…a Sunderland lustre ware mug




The mug celebrates the establishment of Peace between the English and French, and shows the fleur-de-lys on one side, and the Union flag on the other, with a dove of peace carrying an olive branch from the English side to the French.



It may date from the first Treaty of Paris, in 1814, and the exile of the Emperor Napoleon to the Isle of Elba. If so, it was somewhat premature, since the following year Napoleon escaped from Elba, raised an army, and was famously defeated by the Duke of Wellington, among others, at the Battle of Waterloo.

Peace, of course, has reigned between our nations ever since.
 




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