Description: One of a set of nine plates (HD 2007.40.1-40.9) transfer printed in dark, underglaze cobalt blue in the "SHELTER'D PEASANTS" design, which are attributed to the Ralph Hall Factory (w.1822-1849). Originally in partnership with John Hall from about 1802 to 1822, Ralph Hall (d.1838) continued the Swan Bank Pottery mainly producing blue-printed wares for export to America. The pottery also used "Ralph Hall & Son" about 1836 and became "Ralph Hall & Co" in 1841. Some of the set have a printed mark on the bottom of the plate in the form of a leafy branch bearing the title, "SHELTER'D PEASANTS." Some examples - not these - have an added ribbon with the name "R. Hall." The scene appears to be adapted from an original French lithograph, "The Sheltered Peasants," drawn by Leon Noel (1807-1884) and lithographed by Louis-Pierre-Alphonse Bichebois (1801-1850), 1837. Scenes of pastoral life were popular subject matters for printed ceramics in the early 19th century. Dark and heavy blue printing appears to have been preferred by Americans, with very few pieces showing up in the English market. The plates depict a rustic scene showing a shepherd, woman and child sheltering beneath a tree, sheep grazing near them, winding river, and a tall church and other buildings in the background, all within a fruit and flower border. See also two similar plates (HD 69.0442) owned by Miss C. Alice Baker (1833-1909) in the Frary House.
Link to share this object record: https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2007.40.4 |