Schotel, geribd, met vegetatieve ornamenten c. 1925

This ridged plate, decorated with vegetative ornaments, was made by N.V. Plateelbakkerij Ram. The colors are mostly pale, buttery yellow with a dash of mossy green and faded rose. It makes me think of the Dutch light, somehow. I can imagine the artist, perhaps a woman, carefully applying the paint to the ceramic, following the incised lines. The smooth, glossy surface invites touch, while the hand-painted ornamentation speaks to a love of nature and pattern. The composition is symmetrical, yet the execution feels organic and free-flowing. There's a lovely tension between the controlled design and the handmade quality of the piece, a reminder of the human touch in an industrial age. It feels like a conversation with the Arts and Crafts movement, maybe? Like how we try to find balance and harmony in our own work, playing with control and accident in the studio.