A blacksmith and apprentice happily work at the forge, the very embodment of industry and...

A blacksmith and apprentice happily work at the forge, the very embodment of industry and prosperity (note the beehives to the rear left, emblems of industry). The green transfer is framed by a molded rim with leaf and bead detail painted in blue, red, green and ochre. The outer molded edge detail is finished in pink lustre.

Mottos read:" He that hath a trade hath an estate, At the workingman's house hunger looks...

Mottos read:" He that hath a trade hath an estate, At the workingman's house hunger looks in but dares not enter." "Industry pays debts, while despair increaseth them."

Noel Riley, Gifts for Good Children, The History of Children's China, 1790-1890 discusses these wares with illlustrations of this scene (p. 270-273, il. 1094). The mottos and accompanying scene come from a children's picture sheet (similar to today's coloring book or scrap book materials). They were originally illustrated by Robert Dighton, published by Bowles and Carver, London, 1795.