Plate c. 1900

This plate of earthenware was crafted by William De Morgan in England, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. It depicts a medieval ship floating on a blue sea. De Morgan was a lifelong friend of William Morris, who shared his socialist values and Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic. The Arts and Crafts movement to which they belonged sought to revitalize English decorative arts, which they believed had been corrupted by industrial manufacturing. It drew inspiration from medieval, romantic, and folk styles of art and design and was influenced by the writings of John Ruskin and A.W.N. Pugin. De Morgan was particularly interested in reviving the technique of lustreware, which had been popular in the Middle East and Renaissance Italy. The image on the plate is based on classical imagery, evoking a lost pre-industrial society and suggesting an alternative vision of the modern world. To learn more, consider researching the Arts and Crafts movement and its complex relationship to British social history.