“Sailors Farewell” Crown Devon Fieldings China Mug

This large cup or mug was made by Crown Devon Fieldings of Stoke on Trent (stamp present on the underneath of the cup) and features the Sailor’s Farewell motto. One side of the piece is printed with the words “SAILORS, FAREWELL / Sweet, oh Sweet is that sensation / Where two hearts in union meet; / But the pain of separation, / Mingles bitter with the sweet.” The other side reads “Far from Home across the Sea / To Foreign climes I go. / While far away O think on me, / And I’ll remember you.” Similar items date from the Edwardian/early 20th Century and we’ve no reason to think this one is different – the maker’s stamp is indicative of a piece made in that time period.

The cup is handpainted over a basic pink lustre ground and shows a scene of a sailor leaving his wife and children to go to sea. In good condition throughout with no chips or cracks, although there is some crazing to the glaze, which is not uncommon for china of this age and there is a slight linear depression in the glaze underneath the verse (see photos). Otherwise, you’d have to say this is in very good shape.