Dish 18th century

This dish was made by Samuel Malkin, likely in the late 17th or early 18th century, using tin-glazed earthenware. This technique, known as Delftware, involved coating the earthenware with a white glaze to imitate the appearance of porcelain. The process begins with shaping the clay, firing it, then applying the tin glaze before adding the painted decoration using metal oxide pigments. The dish would then be fired again, fusing the colors to the glaze. The slightly raised border and hand-painted decoration including a central portrait framed with flowers, birds, and a dog, all speak to the skilled craft involved. Delftware emerged as a response to the popularity of expensive Chinese porcelain. Dutch potters sought to capitalize on this demand, and this ware became a popular and more affordable substitute, indicative of the rise of consumer culture. So while this might seem like a simple dish, it represents the complex interplay of craft, commerce, and artistic expression.