Plate 1794 - 1844

Curator: Welcome! Here we have an earthenware plate, a charming example of decorative art crafted sometime between 1794 and 1844. Editor: It’s immediately striking, in a quietly rustic way. The colors are muted – mostly browns, greens, and a creamy yellow – which gives it a down-to-earth feeling. I am really intrigued by the tactile simplicity of the material, almost humble compared to porcelain. Curator: Yes, it speaks to a different aesthetic than the refined porcelains of the era. The central design, some kind of stylized flowering plant, probably carried a symbolic weight for its original owner, though the precise meaning is hard to say. Flowers are frequent motifs of beauty and temporality, even hope. Editor: Given the era, the labor behind it is also important. Earthenware requires skill, a lot of local materials, and it was likely made in a workshop rather than a large-scale factory, right? Who shaped it? Who fired it? These plates often become silent witnesses of shared meals. Curator: Exactly. Though it seems a humble piece, it would have been someone’s prized possession. Imagine it displayed or used daily. The artist’s intentions are coded within. Consider the green paint splatters near the wavy brown band, or how the design uses radial balance from the central plant and flower designs. Editor: It does suggest daily use. And I bet it offers clues on local consumption as well: was there specific local clay? And what about the lead glazes; can they be dangerous? This really opens onto ideas around regional economy, craft traditions, and local production. Curator: All interwoven within something we see, at first glance, as a simple, decorated plate. Perhaps such tableware reflects a culture's aspirations, what sits at the table, whom it represents, and the history contained within. Editor: Exactly! The simplicity of its form conceals a world of material relations. Each layer of its making – from the ground up.