Rare, excellent condition, beautiful colors and porcelain. All intact, no chips, clean inside. This is a fox head mask stirrup cup stamped 224, possibly a Staffordshire from the end of the 19th century. Beautiful design similar to cups made in the late 18th century by Peter and Anne Bateman. It measures 5 inches long and has a 2 1/2 inches diameter. Stirrup cups were popular drinking vessels in the 18th et 19th centuries. They were presented to riders on horseback before they left or when they returned from their hunt. While riders feet were still in the stirrups of the saddle. These cups have no base because they were held in specially fitted trays by servants.