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Plate
Bow Porcelain Factory - Enlarge image
Plate
- Place of origin:
Bow, England (made)
- Date:
ca. 1755 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Bow Porcelain Factory (maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Soft-paste porcelain painted with underglaze blue
- Credit Line:
Given by E. F. Broderip, Esq.
- Museum number:
C.595-1924
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 53a, case 1
Object Type
This plate is a domestic dinner plate, probably from a set of half a dozen or more. It would have been used as an under-plate when a soup was served, and for eating the first two courses of a meal served in the French manner. According to a slightly later dining manual, 'the first course should consist of soups, boiled poultry, fish and boiled meats, and the second of different kinds of game, high seasoned dishes, tarts, jellies etc.' A servant would have replaced this plate with a clean one of a different design for the dessert.
Materials & Making
The Bow factory manufactured a type of porcelain strengthened with ashes from animal bones. The result was a comparatively durable ceramic material, one that would have been suitable for drinking utensils and other utilitarian wares. The factory made large quantities of blue and white porcelain, which was relatively cheap and aimed at the middle-ranges of the market.
Trading
Bow porcelain was sold from a warehouse on the factory site and from London showrooms, but it could also be purchased at auction or from dealers in London and smaller cities. The factory also sold large quantities to merchants for export to the American colonies and elsewhere.
