Description:
One of a pair of English white salt-glazed stoneware, press-molded plates with raised decoration with "W. Pitt / Esq.", his bust, and star and diaper and basket patterns in scroll-bordered panels repeated four times around the molded and scalloped-edged rim. William Pitt (1706-1774), later the first Earl of Chatham, dominated the political scene both from without and within the governent in a number of positions including Prime Minister from 1757-1761 and 1766-1768. He is remembered for his vocal criticism of harsh British policies levied against the American colonies and his skills as a wartime leader during the Seven Years War (1756-1763), also known as the French and Indian War. The bust appears to have been taken from a transfer print by John Sadler of Liverpool, inscribed "The Right Hon.ble Wm. Pitt Esq./ One of His Majesty's principal Secretaries of State./ And One of His most Hon.ble Privy Council./ J. Sadler Liverp. Enam." The transfer print was based on a circa 1754 portrait by the English painter, William Hoare (c.1707-1792). Although intended for export to the American colonies, no examples of Pitt plates have been found in an American archaeological context. These plates are scarce and survive in limited quantities. In his capacity as Secretary of State for Britain during most of the Seven Years' War and as a vocal champion of America, Pitt became a much celebrated figure in the colonies, with numerous cities and counties named after him including Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. White stoneware plates with his name likely date from 1756 to Pitt's resignation from government in 1761, or perhaps even later.
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+63.143 |
