Dia.: 15,6 cm (the saucer)
L.: 12,4 cm - H.: 6,7 cm (the cup)

The inscription on the bottom of the cup reads: 'Koninglijke Marine - J.C.J. Van Speyk - 5 Febr 1831 - Voor Vaderland & Vorst', which can be translated as: 'Royal Navy - J.C.J. Van Speyk - 5 February 1831 - For Fatherland and King'.

In early 1831 during the Belgian Revolution (which began in 1830), Van Speyk was commanding Kanonneerboot no. 2 near Antwerp. His ship was forced by a storm into the dock near Antwerp. Belgian revolutionaries attempted to board it and demanded surrender. Van Speyk refused, saying something like, “Dan liever de lucht in” (“Then rather take to the air / I'd rather blow up (than surrender)”). He then ignited gunpowder on his vessel, causing it to explode, choosing death over surrender. His act turned him into a symbol of national pride and sacrifice in the Netherlands.

The act has been remembered in many poems, memorials, artworks, coins, medals, and places named after him, of which this is a rare example.