Description:
English or Irish delft plate with chinoiserie garden scene in blue. The well has two robed men, one seated and the other standing behind him, both looking towards a prunus branch with blossoms and bare twigs on the top, which fills the left side of the well. The curvature has a band of alternating trellis work and sprigs; and the rim has three prunus branches with blossoms. This 'Mandarin' pattern, which was a popular delftware design in the late 1730's, was copied by the Bow Porcelain Factory in soft-paste porcelain its early 1750-1755 period. The soft blue color of the glaze, flat wide rim, and the two painted concentric circles on the reverse are characteristics associated with Liverpool delftware plates. Postive attribution to Liverpool is difficult, since there are a similar pair of large plates marked "DUBLIN 1735" with four concentric circles on the reverse. Peter Francis has recently done research on this group of plates, which share physical characteristics and have concentric cricle markings on the reverse, trying to identify examples produced in Dublin rather than Liverpool. However, Irish potters seem to have taken many of their designs from Liverpool, and concentric circles on the backs seem to have been produced at both locations. On balance, most likely this piece was produced in Liverpool, but a possible Irish attribution should not be ruled out.
Subjects:
Pottery; glaze (coating by location) Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2177 |
