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Plate
Royal Worcester - Enlarge image
Plate
- Place of origin:
Worcester, England (made)
- Date:
ca. 1780 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Royal Worcester (manufacturer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Soft-paste porcelain transfer-printed in underglaze blue
- Credit Line:
Given by Alfred Darby, Esq.
- Museum number:
C.153-1921
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 118a, case 5
Object Type
The plate is for an individual portion rather than serving food. The waved border indicates that it was probably intended for eating stewed or fresh fruit or other sweet foodstuffs during the dessert course. However, tablewares of similar design could be used for serving both savoury and sweet courses, even in some of the most elaborate services. The distinction between the two may therefore not be as rigid as often thought. At the time that this plate was made, soup and dinner plates were usually set out before the start of the meal and clean plates were brought by servants when the dessert was served.
Materials & Making
The raw materials of the Worcester porcelain factory included soaprock (soapstone), which resulted in a type of porcelain that was resistant to both regular use and the thermal shock of hot water. Worcester's recipe was therefore suitable for tablewares and tea and coffee services.
Trading
The Worcester factory sold much of its output through wholesale warehouses in London.
Social Class
Transfer-printed porcelain tablewares such as this were relatively inexpensive to make. They were probably used in households of well-off members of the 'middling ranks' of society, but they may also have been used by wealthier persons when display was unimportant.
