![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.andrewbaseman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2118.jpg\" "\\"IMG_2118\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThis\u00a0mug with identical form and decoration\u00a0shows what the original handle on mine would have looked like before it took a tumble.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
It’s obvious why there are so many early children’s ceramics with inventive repairs. Before the invention of bakelite and plastic, children used smaller versions of adult sized ceramics, and their little\u00a0hands could barely hold these fragile vessels, especially when filled with hot liquids. So could you really blame these poor innocents when many a mug, plate and glass slipped away, ending up shattered on the floor?<\/p>\n
This child’s mug is clearly titled with the 16th century\u00a0English proverb\u00a0“MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES” and has brown transfer decoration of a farming scene with a pink lustre ring along\u00a0the rim. It\u00a0was made in the Staffordshire region of England in the first quarter\u00a0of the 19th century and measures 2.25 inches high. After the handle broke off, it was taken to a tinker who fashioned an\u00a0ear shaped metal\u00a0replacement handle and support bands. A triangular piece from another cup was patched in\u00a0along the top to replace a lost chip. In my humble opinion, the repairs add character to this wounded survivor, making it much more interesting than a “perfect” one.<\/p>\n
This\u00a0mug with identical form and decoration\u00a0shows what the original handle on mine would have looked like before it took a tumble.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n