Description:
One of a set of four English creamware plates (see also HD 75.208) decorated with a black transfer print of the armorial book plate designed by the American botanist and horticulturalist, John Bartram (1699-1777) who was a co-founder along with Benjamin Franklin of the American Philosophical Society and appointed botanist to King George III in 1765. The bookplate has the motto "J'AVANCE" (I Advance) over the crest of a ram's head out of a crown; over an elaborate cartouche with a stone-mason's mallet in the center encircled by eight Cross Pattes; over the motto, "FOY EN DIEU" (Fidelity or Faith in God) in a ribbon scroll. John Bolton describes the arms as "Gu on an inscutcheon or bet an orle of 8 crosses pattee arg a thistle head sa"; Fairbairn notes that the ram's head was used by the Scottish branch of the Bartram family; and J. B. Rietstap describes the French version of the Bartram arms as "De gueules à un écusson d'or en abîme ch d'un maillet de sable et acc de huit croix pattées d'argent rangées en orle Casque timbré d'une couronne à l'antique d'or Cimier une tête et col de bélier d'argent Devise FOY EN DIEU" or "de gueules, à un écusson d'or en abîme, ch. d'un maillet de sable et acc. de huit croix pattées d'argent, rangées en orle. Casque timbré d'une couronne à l'antique d'or." The stone mason's mallet shown on this armorial plate is not found on any of the Bartram arms, and is thought to reflect John Bartram's pride in building three solid stone houses that are still standing today. This form of plate is difficult to date since it was produced over many years by a number of creamware manufacturers, including the Leeds Pottery and Wedgwood. Given John Bartram's death in 1777, these plates are more likely to have been ordered by one of his children, probably his 5th son, William Bartram (1739-1823), or another relative. Alexander Bartram sold textiles, ceramics, and glass in Philadelphia, in the 1760s and 1770s until his estate was siezed for being a loyalist in 1778.
Label Text:
Exhibited in "Rococo: Celebrating 18th-Century Design and Decoration" (2018-2019): Sinuous, asymmetrical, and overabundant deocration quickly became hallmarks of the Rococo style. These decorative schemes were employed frequently as ornamental borders on printed ephemera, such as Nathan Drake's trade card, and on ceramics, such as the John Janston creamware plate and the creamware plate bearing an armorial design with motto reading "J' Avance" (I advance). This Rococo sensibility is employed, albeit more subtly, on the pair of white stoneware plates, as evinced by their bordered scalloped edges and scroll panels surround the rims. The pair celebrates the work of British politician William Pitt (1708-1778), whose bust and name decorate the plates. Stone and creamware plates appear frequently in Deerfield probate inventories and in local account book records, suggesting ownership of comparable forms in Deerfield.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+75.206.1 |
