Isambard Kingdom Brunel's SS Great Britain, launched in 1843 as the largest ship in the world at the time, spent decades abandoned in the Falkland Islands before being towed back to Bristol in 1970 and installed in the same dry dock where she was originally built. This cup commemorates a later stage of that long restoration effort, marking progress made by 1998 — a limited edition piece, numbered 413 of 500, produced by Spode to celebrate the milestone.
The design carries a cobalt blue ground with extensive gilding, and the two handles are formed as phoenix birds, a fitting motif for a ship that was itself rescued from near-total ruin and brought back to something like its original state. The cup has a domed lid and matching saucer, and this particular example has never been used or displayed, which is worth noting for anyone specifically collecting limited edition commemorative china in unused condition.
