Serving dish c. 17th century

This serving dish was made by Howard William out of pewter. Pewter is an alloy, mostly tin with a bit of other metal added for strength. This plate would have been made by pouring molten pewter into a mold, and then turning the rough casting on a lathe. The concentric rings you see are a telltale sign of this process. Pewter was a common material for dishware before the rise of ceramics, because it was relatively inexpensive, durable, and easy to clean. But it wasn’t quite as cheap as wood, so pewter objects like this one give us a glimpse into the lives of people who were doing alright, but not wealthy. The form is simple, functional and typical of its kind. The marks stamped into its surface offer clues about its maker and maybe even its original owner, linking us to the human stories behind everyday objects. Ultimately, this plate reminds us that even the most humble materials can tell a rich story about history, labor, and society.