Vintage Black Transferware Mug with Farm and Windmill Scene

A small, sturdy cream ceramic mug wrapped all the way round in a finely detailed black transfer print of a peaceful country scene. You'll see farmhouses and barns with twin silos, big leafy trees and drifting clouds, a windmill on the far bank, and swans gliding across a pond. A thin black band circles the rim, and the loop handle is glazed in a glossy chocolate brown, a nice two-tone touch. It's a cosy size for tea or coffee, and it stacks neatly. The maker isn't marked. The print is crisp and the glaze is in good condition.

Printing pictures onto pottery was an English invention. In 1751, the Birmingham engraver John Brooks applied for a patent for "a method of printing, impressing and reversing upon enamel and china" from engraved copper plates. The technique spread to Battersea, Liverpool and then Staffordshire. In the 19th century, "transferware" scenes of countryside, mills and farms became hugely popular, a tradition this little mug carries on.