Code: 10417
Dimensions:
Sir Laurence Whistler CBE (1912–2000)
For Portmeirion Pottery
Mug Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Portmeirion Village
Black glaze stoneware pottery with printed gilt design
Printed mark beneath
Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire
England, 1976
Measurements: 10.2 cm (4 inches) tall
Decorated with print in gilt of a firework display silhouetting the main landmarks of Portmeirion Village with the text "1926 PORTMEIRION 1976". Marked beneath "Portmeirion" "Golden Jubilee" "From an engraved glass by Lawrence Whistler" [sic].
This mug commemorates the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first buildings at the village of Portmeirion, designed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis (1883–1978). It was made by the Staffordshire pottery of the same name, which was owned by Sir Clough's daughter Susan Williams-Ellis (1918–2007).
The basis of the design was a goblet engraved for Portmeirion's 40th anniversary in 1966 by Sir Laurence Whistler, the pioneering master of glass engraving revival. The original stipple engraved goblet was presented to Clough Williams-Ellis and displayed as one of Portmeirion's treasures in the village's main hotel. Sadly it was lost, along with much of the building's historic interior, in a devastating fire on 5 June 1981. The building was restored but these interesting mugs are the only reminder of Laurence Whistler's original commemorative piece.