Soup plate 1875 - 1885

This soup plate was made by Minton, a ceramics firm that operated from 1793 all the way to 2001. The materials are what you’d expect – clay, glaze, and gold for the gilding. But it’s the labor involved that really tells the story. Consider the underglaze decoration: each flower and leaf individually rendered with a brush. That took time, skill, and a good eye. Then there's the gilding, applied as a liquid and burnished to a sheen. The plate was fired multiple times to achieve this richness. While Minton produced wares for all levels of society, a piece like this speaks to the Victorian era’s fascination with opulence. It blurs the line between craft and industry. On the one hand, each plate likely passed through many hands, an assembly line approach. On the other, the quality of the materials and the artistry on display elevated it far beyond the merely functional. It really makes you appreciate the labor and social context embedded in every object.